


Anchor

by Tangerine



Category: X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: Alcohol, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bodily Fluids, Canon Gay Relationship, Cruise Ships, Embedded Images, Established Relationship, Food, M/M, Major Character Injury, Marvel Bang 2018, Mission Fic, Romance, Trauma, Undercover as Married
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-17
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-08-03 13:34:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 58,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16327229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tangerine/pseuds/Tangerine
Summary: At the request of Kitty Pryde, Rictor and Shatterstar go undercover as a married couple to investigate a possible ghost on a gay cruise. Half mission, half vacation, Rictor and Shatterstar work towards solving the mystery while also thoroughly enjoying all the amenities the ship has to offer.Written for the 2018 Marvel Big Bang.





	1. The Mission

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Arcadia](https://archiveofourown.org/works/548839) by [Sineala](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sineala/pseuds/Sineala). 



> [Art](https://8verity8.tumblr.com/post/179168216424/i-was-really-lucky-to-work-with-tangerine-on-my) by the talented [8Verity8](https://archiveofourown.org/users/8Verity8/pseuds/8Verity8). Thank you so much for the beautiful image, the title banner and all the scene breaks. 
> 
> Thanks to [nafs](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nafio/pseuds/nafs) for the beta. You are the absolute best, and I cannot thank you enough. Any remaining mistakes are my own. 
> 
> Thanks to [Foxy Metal Messiah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anankhe/pseuds/Foxy%20Metal%20Messiah) for solving a Very Serious (only to me) Problem. 
> 
> Canon compliant up to New Mutants: Dead Souls #6, Extermination #1 and various Tim Seeley interviews leading up to Shatterstar #1, though the timeline might be a little stretched. Anything that happens in Extermination #2 or was released after it, including Shatterstar #1, is not reflected in this story. 
> 
> See the end notes for further explanations of the Food, Alcohol, Major Character Injury, Bodily Fluids, and Trauma tags. I would recommend not scrolling up as you will likely encounter some spoilery content.
> 
>   
> 

Rolling onto his back, Julio groaned, eyes still stubbornly closed. Blindly, he flung a hand in Star's general direction, hitting a rounded shoulder, determined to push him out of bed. Star, who – if he loved Julio even a fraction of what he claimed – would do the right thing and make it _stop_. It was bad enough they had to be awake this early. "Holy shit, why did you change your alarm to that? I hate that fucking song." 

"It's catchy," Star replied, grabbing his hand and kissing his knuckles, which wasn't what Julio wanted at all. He tried to pull his arm back, but Star was already moving his mouth up it. "You know all the words."

"I thought we agreed you were never going to mention that again?" Julio asked, laughing, contorting himself inelegantly and putting a bare foot on Star's hip, pushing at him. Star grabbed his foot, tugging it to his mouth, pressing a kiss to his arch, and he flinched away, laughing again, mostly because he was insanely ticklish, and Star fucking knew it, too. "Seriously, turn it off. It's too early for this shit."

"I've been awake for hours."

"Dude, _come on_ ," Julio groaned, dragging a pillow over his face, exhaling sharply when Star leaned over him and climbed out of bed, his hand dragging over Julio's naked belly. Julio shoved the pillow to the side, propping himself up on his elbows. With a hooded gaze, he watched as Star crossed the room and stopped at the dresser, picking up his phone and blissfully silencing his alarm. " _Gracias_ , Star."

Star turned to look at him, smiling, then flipped onto the bed, landing on all fours over Julio, who barked a quick, surprised laugh before automatically sliding his hands over Star's shoulders. "Good morning," Star said, lowering his head, and Julio moved up to meet him, smiling as their lips met. 

"Morning," Julio replied with a grin, pulling back after the kiss. "I guess we don't have time for...?"

Star shook his head. "Unfortunately not. Perhaps if you had woken up when I did."

"Ugh, no, never," Julio laughed, curling a hand around Star's ass, giving him a squeeze. "You sure?"

Star's expression turned thoughtful. "I suppose if we shower together..."

"Sounds good," Julio decided, tapping at Star until he moved, striding into the bathroom, and Julio followed, allowing himself a good stretch before climbing into the water behind Star. "You have any idea what this meeting is about?" Julio asked, kissing one of Star's shoulder blades. "It's so early."

Star shook his head, reaching past Julio for the shampoo then squirting a dollop into his palm. Julio sighed as Star guided him under the water before combing the shampoo into his hair, working it up into a sweet-smelling lather. His hands slipped over Star's torso, stroking him, enjoying how he felt under Julio's fingers. Each shift of his muscles, the smooth warmth of his skin, every time his breath caught.

"You are not being quick about this, Julio," Star murmured, rinsing out Julio's hair, kissing his neck. 

"Give me a break. I haven't had any caffeine yet."

"We should wait," Star insisted, nuzzling him, naked and slippery and so sexy, and Julio contemplated just wrapping his legs around Star's hips and hoping for the best. Let instincts take over or something. 

"Fuck, no, I'm determined. Half asleep, but determined. Here, just, yeah, okay," Julio muttered, curling one foot delicately around Star's calf, pulling him in close. Star's cock, long and hard, skidded over his belly, and Julio slipped his fingers around him, stroking his dick with a firm, slightly awkward, grip.

"We have less than five minutes before we have to leave," Star told him, folding his hand over Julio's as if he planned to do something insane like stop him, but Star just helpfully rearranged things so both their cocks ended up in the circle of Julio's fingers, sliding against each other. Julio bit back his groan. 

"Okay, if I can't get both of us off in less than five minutes then I'm a failure of a boyfriend."

"I strongly disagree with that statement."

"It wasn't literal," Julio assured him.

Star made a noise Julio had long ago determined meant something like _confusing humans always confusing me_ , and despite the fact they both knew Star was at least half human, if not slightly more than half – Longshot was cagey about how different he was from Star, and Star didn't seem eager to figure it out either – he still had these moments where he didn't get the subtle nuances of rhetoric or sarcasm.

On anyone else, it would have been annoying as fuck, but with Star, it was weirdly hot. But the same could be said for just about everything Shatterstar-related, except maybe his unironic taste in music. 

"You're drifting," Star murmured, tipping his head back and nuzzling his jaw. "We can wait."

"No. Fuck the X-Men for scheduling a meeting at eight am on a Monday morning. We'll just be late."

Star crinkled up his nose. "I hate being late."

"I'll make it up to you," Julio promised him, dragging a thumb over the head of his cock, drawing a shiver out of Star's arching body. Pushing up on the tips of his toes, he bit softly at Star's mouth until he opened against him, tongue snaking out. With the water beating down on them, Julio made good on his word, as always.

Despite their slow start, they were actually a bit early, teleporting directly to the Institute. All in all, Julio thought, sitting across from a poker-faced Kitty Pryde, a good start to the morning. Especially after he found out she had her own coffee machine. The perks of being an actual X-Man, he supposed.

It went downhill from there. 

"There's a ghost. On a gay cruise ship. That you want Star and I to investigate," Julio repeated, arms crossed over his chest, slouched in his chair. _This could have been done by email_ , he thought sourly. Beside him, Star was leaning forward, clearly intrigued. "A cruise ship," Julio said slowly, "in the middle of a giant body of water." He pursed his lips together. "You know what my powers are, right?"

"It's probably not a ghost," Kitty assured them. "It's something, but it hasn't attacked anyone."

Star scoffed slightly, the sort of sound he made when he felt someone – usually Julio – just wasn't _trying_ hard enough. 

Julio rolled his eyes. 

"Anyway," Kitty continued, clearly ignoring them, "I'm going to be completely up front about this. I went to college with one of the guys who runs this cruise. He asked me if I knew anyone who could investigate, and after talking with Bobby, your names came up. All your expenses will be covered."

"Will we also be paid?" Star asked. Julio would have kissed him if they'd been sitting closer. 

"Of course."

"Can I bring my swords?"

"Sure. Just don't murder anybody."

"I will try not to," Star vowed. "Can we pretend to be married?"

"If you want to? I mean, this isn't an undercover mission, but I have been asked that you... try to fit in."

Julio was still hung up on Star's last question – the duelling _where the fuck did that come from_ and _holy shit Star don't bring up marriage her wedding just ended in public fucking disgrace_ bouncing around in his head making it pretty hard to focus on anything else – but the vague sense of annoyance that he'd been feeling since she'd first laid out their mission finally blossomed into something much more solid.

"Am I not gay enough or something?" Julio asked flatly.

"Whoa," Kitty said, holding up a hand, especially once Star sat up and started doing that intimidation thing he did. "That's not what I meant. Marco just asked that you don't make it obvious what you're doing there. That you blend in. That you're don't frighten any of the passengers. This is supposed to be a safe space, and whatever is going on right now is messing with that. People have already cancelled."

"So this Marco guy just doesn't like mutants?"

"This Marco guy is a mutant," Kitty replied, expression pained, "but he has no background in investigation and his powers won't help him. Since X-Factor Investigations folded, it's either whoever is leftover from that or someone with zero experience. If you don't want to do it, I can ask Longshot."

Star looked at him, the _please don't make me pretend to be married to my own father_ plainly written on his face. Julio resisted rolling his eyes. It would serve him right for suggesting they go undercover as a married couple without even discussing if Julio wanted to take the mission in the first place. But Julio couldn't bring himself to say no to a job that paid him, and turning down a free vacation – even a work one – would be fucked up, just on principle. 

"Fine," Julio said.

"I have our undercover identities already fully detailed. I will email them to you," Star added. 

"You don't actually have to do that," she told him. "I just meant pack a few bathing suits. Relax in the sun. Try not to drink too much. I mean, technically, you're on official X-Men business, but I don't expect this to be a big thing. Just figure out what's going on, fix it if you can, then report back to me."

Star completely ignored her. "You will have them by noon. Please procure all the necessary IDs."

Kitty looked at Julio imploringly, like he knew the magic word to make Star stop being Shatterstar, but he shook her off with a slight wave of his hand and a fond smile. "Just go with it. He loves this shit."

"I was technically an actor," Shatterstar announced to the room, arms crossed, chin tilted haughtily.

Kitty sighed.

"What was that about?" Julio asked once they were outside, matching Star's long stride as they headed for the subway. He looked down at his palm, which was turned back, which Julio now knew meant he wanted his hand held. With only the slightest hesitation, Julio threaded their fingers tightly together.

If other people stared, he tried not to notice. He was better than he had been, but still not good enough. 

Someday, he promised himself. It helped, together, he knew he and Star could take on the world.

"We make the most logical sense," Star replied easily. "We are of legal drinking age, and we're both mutants. Probably." Star made a pained face then continued determinedly. "Regardless, while our skill sets aren't necessarily an advantage, our experience is. And you look very attractive in a bathing suit." 

"I meant the pretend to be married thing."

Star shrugged. "I thought it could be interesting."

"Is there something you want to talk about?" Julio asked, trying to sound casual and failing miserably. 

"Julio, it was just a thought. We don't have to, if you are averse to the idea."

"I'm not," Julio assured him, squeezing his hand, and Star looked over at him, something sad and weird in his expression that Julio couldn't quite describe. Maybe he was thinking about their break, which had lasted a mere three days. Despite the brevity, Julio had managed to embarrass himself more than once. "Hey, you know I love going undercover. I'm just sorry I don't get to wear any fun wigs this time."

Star's expression went blank. "That's not a true statement," he said evasively.

"What?" Star looked away, like he hadn't said anything, and Julio decided just to let it go. It was probably better not to know. "Seriously, though, if something's bothering you, I'd like to know. The last few months have been pretty exhausting, emotionally. With what happened with Cable and everything."

Star frowned. "This has nothing to do with that, Julio," he said. 

Julio didn't bother to ask _are you sure_ because Star usually was about his feelings. These days, anyway. 

"And it is not because I thought you were dead for nine days either," he added mutinously. 

Julio smiled softly. "Then what is it?"

"It just feels like we don't spend any time together anymore," Star said, mouth drawing into a line. 

"And you've missed me?" Julio asked, leaning into Star, grinning up at him.

"Of course I have. I vastly preferred when we were on the same team. I hate sleeping alone," Star added sullenly, which Julio thought was possibly the understatement of the century. They might as well have had a twin bed for all the space that existed between them when they slept. It had taken Julio a long time to get used to that, sleeping so close, but it was second nature by now. He slept better, too.

"I guess that's what happens when we're busy adults with busy adult lives. Kinda sucks, huh?"

Star nodded. 

Julio regarded him silently. It wasn't like he wasn't thinking the same thing, especially with all the changes looming on the horizon. His brief return to a team had ended, unsurprisingly, in complete disaster, though they'd somehow managed to get Illyana, Dani, Xi'an, Rahne and Guido de-Warlocked without too much trouble, but there hadn't really been a reason to stick together once that was all sorted out.

And then Cable... it was tough to think about. Julio's complicated feelings towards him aside, he'd been important to Star. Star hadn't reacted especially well, rotating wildly between grief, anger and acceptance, which had, in turn, made Julio feel even guiltier about disappearing for over a week. 

And despite the fact they'd just moved into their new place – Julio had even gone to the effort of unpacking, which served him right, really, he should have known better – they had to move _again_ , which meant packing and unpacking _again_. And, to cap it all off, Star had bought a building on a whim that needed a truly obscene amount of renovations, and it was just... it was a lot. Things were changing, quickly.

For his own peace of mind, Julio tried not to dwell on any of it, but it was getting harder to ignore.

"This is, like, the worst timing for this, too. Even if we both probably need a vacation."

"Perhaps," Star agreed after a pause. "But I am still looking forward to it. We are the perfect choice."

Julio smiled. "Yeah, we are. So tell me about this married man I'm going to be. Is my name still Julio?" 

"Of course. You know how bad I am at remembering to call you anything else."

Julio snorted softly. "What about you?"

"Alistair. So you can still call me Star," Star explained, which Julio appreciated. So much of his life – especially the important parts – could basically be summed up with a series of sentences that started with _And then Star and I..._ that Star's name felt as natural as breathing. "I also took your last name." 

Julio smiled, ignoring the fluttering feeling in his stomach. "Okay. That works. How long have we been married?"

"Not long," Star replied, voice soft and warm, and Julio felt himself flush. "This is our honeymoon."

"So nobody will notice when we sneak off, assuming we're fucking each other's brains out or whatever. Smart." Julio let go of Star's hand as they approached the entrance to the subway, fishing around in his pocket for his MetroCard, weirdly flustered by the whole exchange. "Do you need me to do anything?" 

"No, I will take care of everything. I have our personas fully developed already. I would also like to dress you," Star said, trying not to look too eager, but Julio wasn't fooled. Star loved buying him shit to wear, and Julio had no idea why. At Julio's bemused look, Star added, "if you do not mind, that is."

"I don't mind. But within reason, okay? No banana hammocks."

"Fine," Star said, a beat too late, but Julio chose to ignore that. 

"Hey, what do you want to do for dinner tonight?" he asked instead. "I was thinking we could go out." 

"That new Greek place looks interesting. One of the owners hit on me."

"Everyone hits on you," Julio said with a sigh. 

"Only because I am so beautiful," Star assured him, without the slightest bit of humility. Julio would have been annoyed, except he happened to agree. Denying the truth seemed like a waste of time. It used to bother him, but these days, he mostly just appreciated the free food and random discounts.

For the next few days, they focussed on getting ready for the mission. Which basically meant Julio read through all the intel Marco had provided, occasionally reading out the important bits to Star as Star tapped away on the laptop, alternating between extensively researching all the amenities the cruise ship had to offer and – much to Julio's chagrin – ordering the entirety of the internet to their apartment.

"Star," Julio said, closing the door on the third delivery person that day, "we're trying to _make_ money. You're the one with the grandiose plans that require a shit tonne of cash. We don't need all this shit."

Star pressed a kiss to the side of his head. "Stop worrying about money," he said. "We're fine."

Julio exhaled as Star nuzzled him. "You bought a building. It's all I'm going to worry about for the rest of our lives. The fact you aren't stressed about this at all is actually making me more stressed out."

"I recall you saying I had your full support," Star said, smiling against Julio's temple. 

"Of course you do," Julio replied, making a face. Star kissed him again. "That's not the point."

"I'm being frugal," Star promised, taking the box out of his hand and disappearing into the bedroom. When he spoke again, his voice was disembodied and accusatory over the sound of the box cutter. "We've never been on a real vacation together before, and you inexplicably only own one bathing suit."

"We never go swimming. We live in New York City."

"Yes, I am aware of that," Star replied, coming back into the room so Julio could feel the full power of his judgment. Julio rolled his eyes, though softened immediately when Star sat down, leaning against him. A hand snaked intimately along Julio's waist, fingers curling over his hip. "Your body has changed again, Julio," Star murmured warmly in his ear. "If you try to wear that suit, it will fall right off you."

"I'm pretty sure you'd like that," Julio replied with a snort, pressing a quick kiss to his head.

"I would," Star confirmed, slipping his hand under Julio's shirt, palming his stomach. 

"Illyana has – _had_ – us marching all over the place. I'm in, like, the best shape of my life."

"Yes, it feels like it," Star hummed, skimming his knuckles over Julio's abs. Julio shivered, the words swimming on the screen as he struggled to maintain his focus. "You will look amazing in the bathing suits I ordered for you. And even more amazing in all the new clothes I plan on taking off you." 

"Oh, really?"

"Yes," Star said with a self-satisfied smirk, a single finger tracing the outline of his cock with a feather-light touch through his shorts. He kissed the curve of Julio's ear. "We are going to have an enormous amount of sex. The goal is three times a day, minimum, but the limiter is your stamina, not mine."

"That's a little ambitious, dude," Julio said with a smile.

"I have faith in us," Star assured him. 

"How are we going to fit all the actual ghost-busting into this enterprising plan of yours?"

"We'll find a way," Star promised him, kissing over his neck as his finger continue to explore. "If nothing else, our intimate knowledge of each other's bodies lends itself well to quick interludes. I would prefer to take my time worshipping you, but if pushed, I know how easily I can get you off." 

"Okay, screw doing actual work," Julio said, putting down his tablet. "This can wait. We're fucking on this couch right now."

"Excellent idea," Star agreed gamely, pulling off his shirt then tugging at Julio's, settling on his lap. Julio slipped his hand into Star's shorts, circling his cock and stroking him to full hardness, as Star squirmed and panted wetly in his ear. "I can't wait to do this with you," Star murmured, nuzzling him.

Julio laughed softly, pressing an open kiss to his bare chest. "We have sex on this couch all the time."

"I didn't mean that," Star said, pulling back, eyes sparkling bright with arousal. 

"Been a while since we've been Rictor and Shatterstar," Julio agreed, sliding his hands around Star's ass, pulling his shorts off his hips and down his ridiculously long legs. Moving his hands over Star's skin, he touched every bit of reachable flesh as Star stared at him, chest heaving. "I'm still wrong?"

"It's close enough," Star said after a moment, reaching down and popping the button on Julio's jeans. They shuffled around on the couch, until Julio was beneath him, as naked as Star was, his legs reflexively lifting and hooking around the backs of Star's thighs. Star looked down at him. 

"But that's not what you meant," Julio continued faintly, digging his fingers into Star's upper arms. 

"Don't worry about it, Julio," Star insisted then leaned over him and kissed him deeply, effectively silencing him. Julio went with it, because it was Star, and he'd learned long ago to take Star at his word.

The day before they left, the new passports and the tickets arrived. He ripped open the package and sat down at the kitchen table, dumping everything out onto the surface. He checked the passports first, flipping them open to the sombre pictures. _Julio Garcia Fernandez_ and _Alistair Nathan Fernandez_.

Star came out of the shower, naked, scrubbing a towel over his head. He peered over Julio's shoulder.

"Good," he said with a nod then walked over to the couch, sifting through the pile of clean laundry. 

"Nathan?"

"You said no more actors," Star replied as he pulled on a pair of underwear, then grabbed a tank top and a pair of well-worn jeans. He sat down at the table to finish dressing, watching as Julio thumbed through the stack of tickets, unable to hide his surprise at the airline ones. He looked to Star. "We're flying to San Diego," Star explained, putting a hand over his forearm and squeezing him lightly. 

"You hate commercial airplanes."

"Only because they keep taking you away from me," Star said softly, squeezing him again. Julio looked away, guilt gnawing away at him. He knew it was just the reality of their professions, but he couldn't get the memory of the relieved look on Star's face when he finally saw him again out of his head. "Julio, I teleported us to California once before, using you as my anchor, and I will not do it again. I could tell how you felt about that place. I will not force that on you a second time, but you know as well as I do that I cannot teleport anywhere without an anchor to guide me. Let me do this for you."

"It's not even the same city. I have zero problems with San Diego. I've heard it's nice. We won't be anywhere near San Francisco." He flinched when he said it, which Star saw, and Julio groaned. Why was his brain such an asshole? "Is six hours on a plane really worth a moment of discomfort for me?"

"Of course it is," Star replied, kissing him sweetly. Julio blinked sharply, eyes suddenly hot. Star dragged a single finger down his cheek, but otherwise had the good sense not to mention the fact Julio was a word or two away from completely losing it. "This is our first official vacation together, Julio. I want it to be good for you. I want you to look forward to it. I don't want it to start with bad feelings."

"I don't even _think_ about California. Not normally."

"In my experience, Julio, it is the things you don't let yourself think about that affect you the most." 

Julio looked away, trying to compose himself, settling for sarcasm instead. "This is a Mexican beach cruise. We've been to a bunch of Mexican beaches. We fucked for the first time on a Mexican beach."

"I know. I remember it fondly. I cried."

"You sure did," Julio replied, risking a glance at Star's face. 

"Besides," Star added loftily, "the plane ride will give us time to get into character. I have been married before, but I never met Windsong, so I may need some time to become adjusted to being someone's husband. _And_ I would rather not start the mission off without my full skill-set at my disposal, especially when it is just the two of us. For all we know, my teleportation ability will be required immediately."

Julio looked at him, wishing he had something caustic to say in retaliation, but he honestly had nothing. 

"So you see," Star continued kindly, "it is not just for you. It is for me, too." 

Julio rolled his eyes then bumped Star's knee with his own. "I love you, you know."

"I know," Star assured him. "It's why I married you."

The words, said so easily, caused a warm feeling to bloom like a flower under his ribs. 

Not sure what else to do, Julio laughed a little, though it came out more like a snort. Star grinned widely, kissing him again before jumping to his feet, zipping up his jeans and tugging his shirt down over his chest. Julio watched him disappear into the bedroom, still smiling. _What is my life?_ he thought. 

And if his heart still felt fluttery and weird, he just ignored it. But the words, those stayed with him.

Star left to go meet with the contractor. Normally, Julio would have gone with him, but Longshot was stopping by to pick up the spare keys and a stack of handwritten instructions that Star had left for him.

While he waited for Longshot to show up, he went into the bedroom to call his therapist and reschedule his upcoming appointment to two weeks after he and Star were set to return from the mission, just in case. After that was done, he headed into the bathroom and got sidetracked playing games on his phone. When he finally came out, Longshot was sitting on the couch, watching a baseball game. Julio jumped when he noticed him.

"Fuck," he said, putting a hand on his chest. "How the hell did you get in here?"

"A woman let me into the lobby when I smiled at her, and your door was unlocked." 

"No, it wasn't."

Longshot shrugged. "Then just lucky, I guess."

Julio rolled his eyes, walking over the fridge. "Do you want something to drink? Beer? Soda?"

"Beer," Longshot said easily, sitting back, ankles crossed, feet propped up on the coffee table. 

"How about a sandwich?" Julio asked, doing a quick inventory of the contents before glancing back in his direction over the edge of the refrigerator door. 

Eyes locked on the TV, Longshot nodded amiably. 

Julio made them sandwiches, knowing exactly how Longshot liked his because he knew exactly how Star liked his. They were extremely weird, and he'd never understood their relationship, not even once he found out that they were so closely related. "Star left you a set of keys and some very detailed notes."

"It'll be fine," Longshot assured him. "He worries too much. I won't burn anything down."

"That's a stunning endorsement," Julio replied, bringing the plates and two beers over to the couch. Longshot took his with a polite murmur of thanks. "You can sleep in our bed. I'll change the sheets."

"The couch will be fine."

"Whatever. The option is there if you want it," Julio replied, biting into his sandwich. 

They ate in silence for a while, watching the game. 

"I hear you're pretending to be married," Longshot remarked, out of the blue.

"Yeah, that's his thing, not mine. I'm just going along with it because he's so into it."

"Marriage is hard," Longshot told him. Julio stared at him, wishing Star would come home and deal with his own weird father. He and Longshot had never spent any extended periods of time together, for good reason. "It sounds like it's all fun and games, but it takes a lot of love and care to make it work."

"It's a fake marriage."

"I know," Longshot assured him, like he didn't at all.

Julio didn't say anything, just tried to keep him entertained until the game ended, and he left with the keys and Star's overkill notes. Star arrived home half an hour later, faintly dusty, with a stack of papers under his arm. He plopped down on the couch beside Julio, tossing the papers onto the coffee table. 

"Did you tell Longshot about the undercover marriage thing?"

"No, I just mentioned we were going on a mission and needed him to house-sit. Why?"

"I don't know. He was being a little weird, but then, I guess he's always kinda weird."

"He is," Star agreed easily. "Just ignore him. He's not always right, even though he claims he is." 

"What are the chances he burns down either building while we're gone?"

"Non-zero, unfortunately," Star said with a deep, resigned sigh.

Later that night, they met up with Rahne and Tabby for dinner. They were all packed, the suitcases waiting in a line by the door, the locked case containing Star's swords propped up against them, and all the necessary documents in a neat stack with their house keys and wallets. As they were about to leave, another delivery person showed up. Star signed for the box, clearly pleased with the arrival. "Our ghost hunting supplies," Star explained as Julio glared into the box. "All secondhand."

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Julio said, rolling his eyes. "You know this probably isn't a ghost, right?"

"But it might be," Star insisted stubbornly. "I have room in my suitcase. I barely spent any money."

They were still bickering by the time they arrived at the restaurant. Rahne and Tabby were already waiting outside, laughing at something on Tabs's phone. She held it up to Star, so he could see, but Julio waved her away when she tried to subject him to more memes. He lived with Star. He'd seen them all before.

"So I hear you're going on a cruise on someone else's dime," Tabs said, after they ordered drinks. "They should send Rahne and I on one. I'm so sick of New York City, and we'd look mega cute in our bikinis. We could probably both do with a little holiday fling." Tabby elbowed Rahne, and she blushed fiercely.

"It's a gay cruise," Julio said flatly, his arm slung casually across Star's shoulders. 

A quick burst of laughter escaped Tabby's mouth. She clamped her hand over it. "Shit, sorry."

Julio scowled. "Fuck you, Tabs, seriously."

"I'm sure it'll be fun, once you find the ghostie and make it stop scaring everyone," Rahne said kindly, glaring at Tabs, who had the good sense to look contrite. Rahne patted his hand comfortingly as he silently simmered, glaring down at the table. Tabs was amazing at finding the worst insecurities he had.

"Relax. I didn't mean anything by it," Tabs added. "It's just a little hard to picture you having fun." 

"Oh, like that makes it better."

"We're pretending to be married," Star said, apropos of nothing, flipping idly through the menu.

Rahne's eyebrows lifted. "Really? Why?"

"Don't ask," Julio told her. "We have fake passports and everything."

Tabs grinned. "So how long have you two lovebirds been hitched?"

"Not long. This is our honeymoon," Star said as the server came up to the table, drinks balanced on a tray. She set them down quickly – Tabs and Star had gone for the gaudiest drinks on the list, Julio for a bottle of beer, and Rahne for a glass of the house red – then fished her notepad out of her apron. 

"What can I get everyone to eat? Congratulations on your marriage, by the way."

"Thank you," Star said politely. "I will have the roasted chicken please."


	2. The First Day

Julio slept poorly that night, waking up constantly, stressed out for vague reasons, his dreams a mix of confusion and unsettling feelings. When the alarm finally went off, he felt like suggesting they call Kitty and tell her to send Bobby or Northstar or one of the kids, if any of them were even close to twenty-one. He knew they weren't. 

_Another reason to feel shitty_ , he thought morosely. He couldn't even imagine coming out that young.

He had been pretty determined to stay in the closet forever until Star had appeared out of the blue. And he hadn't come out so much as he'd showed up with Star attached to his lips and then had to live through an excruciating series of conversations with people who had only ever thought of him one way. 

Except for Madrox. He'd actually come out to him. He just hadn't been as clear as he should have been. 

It was actually mortifying to look back on. If he had just shut up and stopped trying to be every straight stereotype, he could have saved himself a bunch of discussions that always started with _But you...._ He hadn't even been all that convincingly straight, either, which was the worst part. It kept him up at night. 

"Are you okay?" Star asked as they brushed their teeth, standing shoulder to shoulder at the sink.

"I feel kind of fucked up," Julio admitted, scrubbing a hand over his face. He honestly looked terrible, like he hadn't slept at all. "What if I..." – he looked down – "if I don't fit in? Like, as a gay guy?"

Once he said it out loud, it sounded even more ridiculous. He spit into the sink, rinsing his brush under the water. When he straightened back up, Star was looking at him in the mirror, clearly confused. Julio could barely explain what he was feeling, so he hoped Star wouldn't ask. It was just that... other than covertly fucking his way through Paris or going dancing with Star in the Village, he'd never really done anything like this. He'd never even been to Pride before. He'd wanted to, but the timing had just never worked for him.

Sometimes, Julio felt like an imposter, and he didn't know why. 

It was probably because his brain hated him. That was usually the answer. 

"Forget it," Julio mumbled. "I didn't sleep well. I fucking hate boats. California sucks. Just ignore me."

"You'll be fine," Star assured him, combing his fingers into Julio's hair, pushing it back from his face. Julio stepped into him, wrapping his arms around Star's waist as he buried his face in Star's chest. "This will be fun, Julio. I promise. We'll find the ghost, ensure everyone is safe, and then enjoy ourselves."

"I feel like I'm bad at being gay," Julio muttered into Star's shirt, only half joking. 

"I have never thought so," Star said, swaying with him, taking him completely seriously, as usual. "I will challenge anyone who says otherwise. If this is because Tabitha laughed at you, I thought we agreed that she is always to be ignored because she is basically your sister? She just likes to tease you."

"I honestly don't give a shit what Tabs thinks," Julio insisted with a scowl, a little annoyed that Star had even thought to mention that. "I'm just really fucking stressed out right now. About everything."

"It is a time of great change," Star agreed, giving him a squeeze. "Everything will be okay, Julio."

"I'm gonna stress eat at the airport. I'm warning you now. I'm shoving every carb I see into my mouth."

"Just don't make yourself sick," Star said wisely, and Julio laughed a bit, muffled.

They stayed like that for a little longer, hugging, breathing together, and then Julio reluctantly let him go. But he felt better, and Star looked happy that he'd been able to help, which hadn't always been something Julio had felt comfortable letting him do. But he knew he had to, if he wanted them to work.

After taking one last look around the apartment, Julio joined Star at the front door. Star tapped the screen of his watch with his finger, activating the image inducer, and the star around his eye disappeared. He always looked so weird without it. Still him, but also not, somehow. 

Like he said. Weird. He didn't like that it was necessary, but Star didn't seem to care.

"One last thing, Julio," Star murmured as he unlocked the front door. 

"What did we forget?"

"Nothing," Star assured him, reaching into the inner pocket of his jacket. When he spread his fingers, two rings sat on his palm. Julio stared at them for a moment then looked up at Star's face, his expression impenetrable, but his eyes were warm and loving and bright. "This one is yours, Julio."

Julio lifted his hand, and Star slid one of the rings over his finger. It fit perfectly, the metal cool against his skin. Star moved to do the same thing for himself, but Julio caught him by the wrist, taking the ring from him. Without saying anything, he slipped it onto Star's finger. That same fluttery feeling settled in his chest again. He lifted on his tip-toes, pressed a quick kiss to Star's mouth, then turned away quickly. 

"You ready?" he asked, voice rough. 

"If you are," Star replied, and Julio led them downstairs to their waiting Uber.

At the airport, he guided Star through the process of getting to the gate, even though it was a little new to him, too. They checked in together, and the person at the counter called them both Mr. Fernandez. They placed the suitcases and the swords on the conveyor belt, paid the extra money for all the luggage, then moved towards security. Star watched until his swords disappeared from sight, mouth drawn in a tight line. Julio didn't point out it had been Star's idea to bring them in the first place.

True to his word, Julio loaded up on snacks and a sandwich the size of his forearm. Star, pickier, browsed through the shelves, reading every ingredient, looking for things to avoid, before settling on an over-priced cheese plate and a giant bag of Skittles. Julio paid for both of them at the cash register. 

"I'm stress eating, too," he announced when Julio raised an amused eyebrow at his haul.

Julio put his hand on Star's face, cupping his cheek, then kissed him, briefly, on the lips. Star smiled.

At the gate, they settled down in seats by the windows, so Star could watch as the ground workers prepped the plane for take off. Julio ripped into his sandwich, flicking through his phone with one thumb, as Star munched on his cheese, one of his hands at the base of Julio's neck, idly ruffling Julio's hair. It was intimate, exactly the sort of thing Star did when they watched TV, in the privacy of their own apartment. Julio knew, if he'd asked, Star would have stopped, but he took comfort in it, too. 

When he was done eating, he leaned his head on Star's shoulder, eyes struggling to stay open. He'd sleep on the plane, if he could, even if it meant leaving Star to his own devices. He'd remembered to pack two sets of headphones, plus a collection of word puzzles and a book for Star to read, if he felt desperate. 

Julio still thought he was a little crazy, picking a cross-country flight over instant teleportation.

But he would have done the same for Star. Without question, without hesitation. 

Julio sighed, looking around the waiting area. A lanky teenager was staring at them, his eyes almost completely hidden under a messy fringe of hair. Julio's first instinct was to tell him to fuck off, they weren't bothering anybody, but then he recognized the look in the kid's eyes, and he relaxed a little. 

That look basically defined the entirety of his teenage years. He'd been that kid. 

As if he knew – and he probably did, somehow, he always seemed to – Star put his hand on his knee, palm upturned. Julio folded his fingers with Star's, trying not to smile when Star's thumb swept over the silver band of his wedding ring. Look at this, kid, Julio wanted to say, this shit is possible for you, too. 

Except the ring was fake and so was the marriage. But even being loved at all was something Julio assumed would never happen for him, not in the way he had it now. He loved Rahne. Their relationship had been a good thing for him, a happy memory, even after they fucked it up with sex. He even loved Tabs, though they had been so young, and it'd mostly been a chaste thing of convenience. But he'd always known, deep down, that he was holding something huge back. Until Shatterstar came along.

Then he just couldn't hide anymore. He'd sure as hell tried, but in the end, he'd finally let go. 

So, fake things aside, he and Star were real enough that he didn't mind this kid seeing anything. 

Mostly, anyway. He hoped someday that voice in the back of his head would shut the fuck up. 

"I am a hot mess," Julio said, quietly, in Spanish. 

"Yes, I know," Star replied. When Julio glared up at him, he sighed. "Then why did you say that?"

"I don't know. I keep hoping you've somehow solved the mystery of the rhetorical statement."

"Then who is the bigger fool?"

Julio laughed abruptly, turning his face into Star's shoulder, shaking, and Star looked so pleased with himself that Julio had to avoid looking directly at him for next five minutes, or he'd just lose it again.

The plane ride was fine. Julio took the middle seat and slept half of the way, arms crossed, leaning against Star. He didn't dream, which was good, and when he woke up, he felt a little fuzzy in the head, like he always did when he was away from the surface of the earth. When the cart came by, he got a coffee, made Star also get one, stole it from him, then worked his way through his snacks, splitting them with Star, who was clearly bored out of his mind. He'd already eaten the entire bag of Skittles.

To kill the last two and a half hours, they watched the same movie. 

Then, finally, they were on solid land again.

Julio was quiet on the taxi ride to where the cruise ship was waiting for them. Star kept looking at him with concern, keeping one arm around his shoulders and the other in Julio's lap, holding his hand.

"I'm okay," he said, even though he only half believed it. He was a little embarrassed about his current emotional state, but this was basically how his head worked. Latch onto something small, blow it out of proportion, repeat the cycle for infinity. It wasn't like Star didn't know exactly how crazy his brain was. 

"I know," Star assured him with a small smile. "You always are. We're almost there."

"I'm counting the fucking seconds," Julio muttered. 

The cab stopped at the pier, and the driver removed their suitcases from the trunk. Julio pulled the cruise tickets out of his bag and tried to keep his gaze on the water and not the huge ship looming in front of them. Eventually, he shifted his attention to the crowd around them, hoping it would settle him.

There were a lot of rainbows and even more guys jovially milling about, laughing, their excitement a tangible, physical thing. Julio suddenly felt really overwhelmed by the whole thing and wished he was off fighting something familiar, like demons or Sentinels. Hell, he'd even take Mojo right then. This wasn't like his pathetic attempts at mentoring younger mutants or brunching with Star in Chelsea.

He closed his eyes, willing his brain to stop freaking out over _nothing_. He'd worked through this shit already, years ago, and yet here he was, approaching a fucking boat like he was off to his execution.

Star touched a hand to his back. "Julio? Are you being a hot mess again?"

"Of course I am," Julio said grimly. "Let's do this. The bar better be open. I need a fucking drink."

"I think you need a nap," Star replied, a little too serious. "Or, possibly, a good fuck."

Julio snorted. "Now that's an idea. Come on, let's go see the closet we're living in for the next week."

It wasn't a closet. It was the furthest thing from a closet that Julio had ever seen. He dropped all his shit on the floor and walked over to the balcony, sliding the glass door open and stepping outside. A little dazed, he wandered back inside where Star was standing at the bed, staring down at it, visibly puzzled.

"What is it?"

"These towels have been folded into swans, and the swans have made a heart. There are rose petals."

"What the fuck?" Julio said, coming to stand beside Star, but the scene was exactly as he described. There was also a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket of ice water and a bowl of fresh fruit. Next to them, there was a note written in perfect script: _Congratulations and welcome aboard. Yours, Marco._

"That's nice of him," Star said with a pleased hum then wandered off into the bathroom. Julio sat down on the bed, careful not to knock down the swans, burying his face in his hands. He looked up when Star walked back out. Without saying anything, Star carefully moved the swans to the couch, petals and all, then crouched by his suitcase and unzipped it, rooting around until he finally found what he was after. 

"Do you ever feel like we live in the twilight zone?"

"Frequently," Star said, dropping the lube and a condom on the bed. "What do you need, Julio?"

"Same thing I always do. You," he said simply, reaching for him, and Star fell into his arms, smiling against his mouth as they kissed, deep and long, licking into each other. Piece by piece, Julio let Star peel off his new clothes, reverently, until he was bare on the bed, his cock laying heavy on his belly.

Star looked down at him, gaze hot, as he tugged off his own shirt. "You are so beautiful."

Julio smiled, watching admiringly as Star wiggled out of his shorts. "You should see my view."

Star leaned over him again, skimming a hand under Julio's thigh and lifting his leg, then they kissed again. Impatiently, Julio shifted against him, rubbing his own cock and belly against Star's. He closed his eyes when Star's fingers moved between his legs, two of them slipping into him easily, moving in time with the rhythmic undulation of his hips. After a while, he added a third, working Julio open. 

"We should have done this on the plane," Star murmured, fingers twisting. "It's all I thought about."

"I don't think it's that easy anymore," Julio replied, reaching blindly for the condom, tearing it open. 

With a knowing hand, he rolled it down the length of Star's cock, letting his fingers linger over his balls. Star made a rumbling sound in his chest, then withdrew his fingers and replaced them with his cock. He slid in with one quick thrust. Julio arched on the bed, unable to stop the deep groan from leaving his mouth.

And then Star fucked him, hard, into the bed, exactly what Julio needed. He clung to him, one arm laid solidly across his back, the other lower, his hand pressed into the flesh of Star's ass, pulling him in. He panted hotly in Star's ear, his mouth dragging over his jawline, as Star's hands pressed into his hips.

Julio came with a low, satisfied groan, eyes pressed tightly closed, his cock pulsing white onto his belly, as Star continued to thrust into him. Julio buried his hands in Star's hair, clinging to his torso. 

"Harder," Julio encouraged him, whispering into his ear, fucking back at him, taking Star as deeply as he wanted to go, "come on, _corazón_ , ah, just like that. You feel so good. You're so amazing. I love you."

"Julio," Star said helplessly, then shuddered hard, fucking into Julio once last time then holding there, for a long, incredible minute, before he finally collapsed bonelessly onto Julio's chest, breathing hard. 

"You okay there, Star?" Julio asked with a smile, patting his back, letting it naturally shift into a hug.

"I will recover in time." Star carefully withdrew and ditched the condom, then snuggled up next to him. They lay there quietly for a bit, Star idly playing with his ring before moving onto Julio's. "Do you feel better?" Star asked eventually, blue eyes looking up at him. Julio smiled and nodded. "Good, I'm glad."

Julio lifted his head. "We should get dressed, look around a little, before it gets too busy."

"In a few minutes," Star said softly. Julio nodded again, settling back, as Star continued to play with his hand, twisting the ring around his finger. Eventually, Julio fell into a doze. He was still really tired.

They roamed around for a while. Star located a large orange drink with an umbrella for him and placed it into his hand without a word. So far, the ghost had mainly stuck to scaring the shit out of people, only at night time. It'd never been spotted in private quarters, just in the common areas. It also liked spying.

"We will have to make out a lot," Star said as Julio went over the details, taking pictures on his cell phone of the places he recognized from the reports. "I will fondle you whenever the situation allows."

Julio put his phone away then sipped at his drink. "So, basically, exactly what you do every day?"

"But more obviously."

"I'll believe that's even possible when I see it," Julio replied, grinning around his straw. He gasped a little when Star crowded into his space, drawing him close with a tug of his arm around Julio's waist. 

"Every person on this ship, including that ghost, will know how I feel about you," Star said, voice low and rich with heat. He pressed Julio up against the wall and kissed him soundly, until Julio thought his legs might buckle. When Star pulled back, eyes bright with feeling, Julio just stared at him in a daze. 

"Aw, young love," an older man said with a chuckle as he and his partner walked past, holding hands. 

"We just got married," Star told them with a wide smile. 

"Congratulations," the other man said, offering his hand. Julio, not knowing what else to do, shook it. They talked for a bit, and Julio casually worked the topic of the ghost into the conversation, but they didn't seem worried. "We have seen a lot in our lives. This ship possibly being haunted is nothing."

After another round of well wishes, the men wandered off, speaking warmly to each other, laughing.

But as they continued to look around, and the embarkation time grew closer, it was obvious not everyone shared the couple's opinion about the ghost. There still a lot of people, but compared to the pictures Julio had seen of past cruises, the crowd was noticeably thinner. He didn't blame anyone for staying away. The idea of being trapped on a boat in the middle of the ocean with something potentially hostile wasn't his idea of a good time either. He hoped, for everyone's sake, this resolved itself soon.

Star got him another drink, a blue one this time with a large piece of pineapple hanging off the side. 

"Are you trying to get me drunk?" Julio asked around the straw.

"I'm trying to get you to relax," Star explained. "Fucking you helped, but you are still very tense."

"I just seriously hate boats," Julio admitted, leaning over to peer down at the sparse crowd on the ground. He savoured the feeling of being connected with the earth, knowing how muted it would be soon. Star slid his hand under the back of Julio's shirt, sweeping over his skin. "I'm also trying not to think of the million ways this can go wrong. Did we ever have an X-Factor mission not go completely sideways?"

"A few, not many."

Julio took another sip of his drink. "Do you miss it?"

"Sometimes," Star admitted, bracing his arms on the metal rail, staring out at San Diego. "It was nice being part of a team again, but I don't like how we were back then. In retrospect, it feels very unhealthy. We never talked to each like we should have, and you were so sick. You were suffering, Julio."

"I don't hold any of that against you. You had a lot of things going on, too, that I didn't know about."

Star shrugged, eyes fixed on some point in the distance. Julio stuck the straw from his drink in his mouth, and Star dutifully took a long swallow. When Star looked over at him, Julio put a hand on his face, palm curving to follow the shape of his face, and kissed him gently.

"It sucked, but we got through it. And we're stronger now, together, because of it. Okay?"

"Okay," Star agreed.

They stuck around on deck for the embarkation, cheering and celebrating with everyone else, then headed back to their room. Julio still couldn't believe they'd been given the right keys. Even Star seemed a little overwhelmed by their luck. Julio went into the bathroom for a piss, hearing a knock on the door mid-way through. After washing his hands, he joined Star and their guest in the main room.

"I'm Marco," he said, introducing himself in Spanish. "You must be Julio. I'm happy to have you both aboard."

"Thanks. I hope we can help."

"Kitty said you had investigative experience. You're both X-Men, I'm told?" Marco didn't sound especially confident about the statement, and Julio tried not to sigh too loudly. This guy was probably stressed the fuck out, and Julio could sympathize with that. "I'm sorry, but I can't say I recognize you."

"More like B squad," Julio explained. "We're not full time on any team, but we get called in when they need extra numbers. We used to work for X-Factor Investigations. Star here is probably one of the best physical fighters we have." Julio paused. "And I, uh, could probably recreate the Poseidon Adventure?"

Marco raised an eyebrow. 

"He creates and controls seismic energy." At Marco's slightly raised eyebrow, Star added, "he makes earthquakes. He's very impressive on land, though admittedly less so on water," Star clarified, a note of obvious pride in his voice. Julio tried not to smile. "What do you do?"

"I can speak the language of whoever is talking to me," Marco explained. "It has limited uses."

"I can see how it would be helpful," Star said, in Cadre, purposely stringing the syllables together.

"Well, that's certainly a new one," Marco replied easily, also in Cadre, his words clearly enunciated, his accent perfect, way better than Julio had ever managed, even after years of speaking it with Star. "We had a Shi'ar guest last year and that language is similar. If you don't mind me asking, are you human?"

"Only half," Star confirmed. "On my mother's side."

Marco nodded, reaching for the bag he'd brought and pulling out a tablet. "Your key cards give you access to the entire ship, and you can use this to access the security systems, if you think it will help. None of the cameras have managed to catch it yet. The captain knows you're here, but that's it. Honestly, if I hadn't seen this thing myself, I wouldn't believe it, but there's something on this ship."

"If it's still here, we will find it," Star assured him, more confident than Julio felt. 

Marco smiled gratefully. "I know the situation sounds kind of unbelievable, so I appreciate you're taking this so seriously. We want our guests to have a fun, happy experience. No fear, no judgment. People come from across the globe for our cruises, and it's important to me they have this space."

Julio swallowed against the unexpected thickness in his throat as Star put his hand on Julio's neck. 

If Marco noticed, he was kind enough to pretend he hadn't. "Whatever is happening here, it's weird." 

"What do you mean?" Julio asked, voice still embarrassingly uneven. Star gave him a light squeeze.

"It just seems very sad," Marco said. "I don't know. It's hard to explain. You'll see for yourselves."

"Hopefully sooner than later," Julio replied. "And, uh, thanks for this room. It's amazing."

Arms crossed, Marco smiled ruefully. "We had a last minute cancellation, and when Kitty told me that you wanted your cover story to be that you're newlyweds, it just made sense to put you guys here."

Julio shrugged. Point still stood. He wasn't above taking advantage of the situation. 

Marco left then, shaking both their hands again, and Julio closed the door behind him. Star was already poking through the tablet, sitting on the edge of the bed, legs crossed. Julio settled down beside him, hooking his chin over Star's shoulder with a sigh. "This has an updated passenger manifest," Star said. 

"I'll run it against all the info I already collected, but I doubt we'll find anything new. I checked the manifests for the last four cruises, and nothing suspicious came up, guest or crew. I wish we had a picture of this thing," Julio said as Star turned off the tablet. "Is it actually a ghost? I mean, it could be."

"I suppose we'll see. You should nap before dinner. It may be a long night."

"You okay to cuddle while I do?" Julio asked casually, trying not to sound too pathetic, but he could already feel the fuzziness settling over his brain, and they'd only been out of port for an hour. Star kissed his forehead then climbed up the mattress, tablet clutched in his left hand. He flipped down the covers then pulled them back up after Julio slipped under them. "Wake me up when it's time for food?"

"Of course," Star said, settling down beside him, lifting his arm so Julio fit snugly underneath. 

"You're the best."

"I try to be," Star said softly, his fingers sweeping gently over Julio's arm, and Julio stopped fighting his heavy eyelids. Julio was mostly asleep when he heard Star speak again, even more quiet, "for you."

Star woke him up by kissing him sloppily all over his face, which wasn't exactly what Julio meant, but they laughed all the way to dinner, arms looped around each other's waists. The mission was still at the forefront of Julio's mind, but he couldn't deny how amazing it was just to spend time with Star, one on one, away from the chaotic madness of their everyday lives or worrying about menial things like getting the rent paid on time and making sure none of the forgotten food in the fridge had developed sentience.

Thinking about it, it was kind of ridiculous they'd never done this before. Just get away, together, willingly, and not because they needed to stop Julio's shitty family from killing more people or because they got stranded on Mojoworld – which Julio was still processing, all this time later – but because they loved the shit out of each other and wanted to enjoy that. Julio resolved to make sure they did it again.

But first, they had a ghost to catch.

"So I was thinking, tonight, we party a little, dance, and then we sneak off to look around some more."

"I programmed this image inducer to also measure ambient temperature while you were sleeping."

"Of course you did," Julio said, without looking up from the menu. He was overwhelmed by the choices. He and Star ate all right – probably went out more than they should, but whatever – but neither of them had the culinary skills to pull off even half of this list. "Do you know what you're getting?"

"I can't decide," Star admitted, clearly torn between what was good for him and what he actually wanted to eat. Julio missed the days of pizza for every meal. It had been much easier to feed him then.

"Eat what you want," Julio said, nudging him with his foot. "We're on vacation. It doesn't count."

Star ended up ordering the same thing he did, which Julio sighed deeply at, but then they split a bottle of red wine, and Star kept bumping his knees under the table, and Julio forgot all about being annoyed.

After dinner, they went back to the room for showers and to change. Julio ended up on his knees, mouth on Star's cock, in the doorway to the bathroom. Star's fingers combed through his hair, and Julio couldn't be sure he hadn't grown it out for precisely this purpose. He loved blowing Star, loved how he tasted and all the small sounds he made and the way his body shifted impatiently as Julio sucked him.

When Star came with a low groan, tugging on his hair, Julio swallowed.

In the shower, Star jerked him off with a firm, knowing hand as they made out under the water. Star couldn't stay away from his neck, sucking determinedly at his skin, and Julio just went with it since they were, after all, on vacation. Julio came quickly, faster than he wanted, all over Star's flat stomach. 

Drying off in the main room, Julio looked over the clothes Star had laid out.

"Why are you dressing me up like the Mexican flag?"

"Theme nights, Julio," Star reminded him, like Julio should have remembered, but he hadn't really retained anything beyond what time to show up, if he had to pay for alcohol and their room number. "I have embraced that I am half American," Star added, tugging on a pair of striped shorts with a star on the left butt cheek.

"Very patriotic," Julio assured him, swatting his ass when he came within reach. 

And if they spent another ten minutes rolling around on the bed, half kissing, half wrestling, well... _vacation_.

Outside, the music was loud and the lights were bright, and Julio didn't miss the fact that Star flinched. Julio dragged Star to the nearest bar, getting him the pinkest drink then ordering a matching one. They drank them in silence, surveying the crowd. _A fuck tonne of dudes_ , Julio thought, licking his lips, _and not one single ghost_. Once their drinks were done, they had another round – yellow – and then they danced.

Star had come a long way from all those nights he'd spent standing stiffly in the middle of whatever club Julio had dragged him to, enduring the experience because Julio had been too caught up in his own shit to notice Star's misery. Star was a natural performer, and they were so comfortable with each other, so used to how the other moved, that Star had finally put two and two together and figured out what to do. 

It turned out dancing wasn't all that different from fucking.

Julio looped his arm around Star's neck, pulling him closer, biting at his mouth. "You're so hot," he said.

"You're so drunk," Star replied, smiling, hand slung possessively low on Julio's ass. 

"I'm not," Julio insisted with a laugh, kissing him again. Star was sweaty and hot under his arm, and Julio suddenly, violently hated that he still had clothes on. "Get me another drink, babe? Green _por favor_."

Star dragged him in closer, one-handed, groins flush together. "Water."

" _Green_ ," Julio repeated. "And I'm not drunk. I'm happy. I can see why it'd be confusing."

Star gave him that look, the look that said _I know everything about you stop lying to me you drunk boyfriend_ , but Julio ignored him. After a few more pleading looks, he finally left Julio to his dancing with one last squeeze of his ass. Pushing his soaking hair back with his hands, Julio closed his eyes, hips swaying, head fuzzy. He mouthed the words to the song as he let his body move with the music.

Julio laughed out loud. He was so fucking wasted. 

A couple guys tried to dance with him, interest clear, but he let them know, while flattered, he wasn't looking for a new partner. When Star came back, he was holding two drinks, both green. Reeling him in, he slid his arm over Star's shoulder again. Julio kissed him in thanks, slicking his tongue into Star's mouth, then took a long drink from the glass. Star rolled his eyes, but he looked really happy, too.

"My husband," Julio murmured, licking over Star's sweet mouth, unable to stop smiling. 

"My husband," Star replied, voice warm and low and wonderful, and Julio melted against him. 

Julio vaguely remembered the rest of the night. Recalled sneaking off with Star, sloppily making out with him as Star kept his hands pinned to the wall by the wrists. Clothes had felt like Julio's mortal enemy, and he was determined to get them off Star for the good of humanity. Julio mimed a blowjob on Star's ring finger, Star's thigh firm and hard between his legs. And by the end, he could barely walk.

"You're the best," Julio cooed wetly in Star's ear, clinging to Star's back, Star's hands under his knees.

"This is why we'll never be X-Men, Julio," Star said fondly. He rumbled when he laughed.


	3. The Second Day

Julio woke up slowly, Star tucked tightly against him, his tousled hair tickling Julio's chin.

Whatever Star had been up to, it had included a shower because Star smelled amazing – clean, vaguely like salt – but now he was deeply asleep again, long lashes fanned on his cheeks. Julio allowed himself a few minutes to enjoy just looking at Star before he carefully slid out of bed and tip-toed into the bathroom.

He didn't feel great, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. There was a bottle of water sitting on the counter alongside two extra strength Tylenol and a banana. After taking a piss, Julio popped the pills and drained the bottle dry before swallowing the banana in four bites. He stepped under the stream, eyes half open, and stood there for a long time, letting his stomach settle, his head get less fuzzy. 

After, he shaved, assessing himself in the mirror. Not bad, considering how little he remembered. 

Back in the main room, he stood at the foot of the bed, taking in the view. Star had rolled into the spot Julio had vacated, now on his belly, the sheets bunched up low around his waist. With a gentle tug, Julio pulled them off the bed and onto the floor. Star shifted slightly as his eyes blinked open. 

"Oh, good," he said with a sleepy smile, stretching, "you're alive."

Julio chuckled, climbing onto the bed and sliding up behind him, covering him like the sheets Julio had just stolen. "Come on, I wasn't that bad," Julio said, folding around him, arm cinched over his waist. He hooked his chin over Star's shoulder, pressing a kiss to his neck. "I've totally been worse."

"You were irrationally angry at my clothes." 

Julio snuffled in Star's ear dismissively. "I'm angry about that sober. You look so good naked. Feel good, too," he added, drawing a hand across the soft skin on Star's lower belly. Star shivered lightly, pushing back at him, and Julio kissed his neck again, sighing against his skin. "Sorry I got so drunk." 

"You needed it," Star assured him, shoulder lifting with an easy shrug.

They lay there for a while, snuggling, Julio's fingers sweeping back and forth over Star's stomach, occasionally dipping lower, ruffling the pale hairs on his thighs, skimming over the warm skin between his legs. Touching Star was one of his favourite things to do. He just felt so good under Julio's hands, so solid and beautiful and responsive. It would have been so easy to stay there all day, enjoying him.

"So what have you been up to all morning?"

"I worked out. The facilities are very impressive," Star added, sounding pleasantly surprised, and Julio just hoped Star understood that under no circumstances was he going to the gym on his vacation. "After, I showered as you continued to sleep, and then, since it was open, I went to the library."

Julio made a face. "What? Why?"

"To see if they had any books about exorcism. They do not."

Star said it so nonchalantly, like it was peak logic, that Julio's brain took a moment to catch up. _This is the man you've chosen to spend your life with_ , it reminded him. "Can't say this feels like a demon thing, though. I mean, we've faced our share of them, and this thing just seems too, I don't know, chill?"

"So far," Star said ominously. "But I agree. Still, it is better to be prepared for everything."

"True. Maybe there were some sightings last night. Clearly we weren't able to attract its attention."

"Not for lack of trying," Star agreed then added with an amused voice, walking his fingers up Julio's forearm, "you were very affectionate, Julio. You would not stop telling me how fuckable I am."

Julio snorted, face warm as he buried it between Star's shoulder blades. "That's nothing new."

"You should fuck me now."

"Yeah?" Julio asked, cock fully hard, pressed cozily between Star's ass cheeks. "Want it like this?" 

Star nodded, fumbling around on the bedside table as Julio kissed over his naked shoulders. A slippery hand circled Julio's cock, covering him in lube, before it snuck down even further, adding extra slickness between Star's legs. Julio continued to work his mouth over Star's back, kissing and licking. He dragged his hand down the same path Star's had followed, adding just the faintest hint of vibration. 

Star's breath hitched. 

Julio fingered him for a bit, stretching him out, incrementally increasing the force of his seismic waves until Star started shaking with the effort of holding back his own orgasm. With another kiss pressed to the base of his neck, Julio quickly withdrew his fingers and immediately replaced them with his cock. 

"Fekt," Star breathed, reaching back and digging his hand into Julio's hip. 

"Do you want me to use my powers again? Would it be too much?"

"I won't last," Star warned him, pushing back with every slow press of Julio's hips. "Do it, Julio."

Julio grinned, wide enough that he knew Star could feel it against his back. Sliding his fingers around Star's dick, he focussed all his powers into his hand and, after a moment of concentration, his cock. Star moaned into the pillow, low and deep and long, his breath coming harsh. Julio stroked him firmly, mouth open against his shoulder, leaving wet streaks on Star's skin, as he continued to thrust into him. 

Star was close, right on the edge, and Julio thought about pulling out, but Star gripped him tightly, fingers digging into his thigh. "Come in me," Star demanded, voice breaking on the last word as Julio increased the vibrations again, breath catching as Star came undone with a cry, body shaking. Julio tumbled right after, Star pulsing amazingly around his cock, his hand leaving bruises on Julio's skin.

He continued kissing over Star's back, still inside him, until he was sure Star was good. Then, gently, he pulled out, touching his fingers to the slick ring of Star's ass. Star moaned, hips twisting, and Julio kissed his shoulder apologetically. He stroked softly over Star's back until his breathing calmed. 

"We gotta find this ghost ASAP, so we can just continue having amazing sex whenever we want."

"That is definitely my motivation." Star stretched languidly before sitting up and bending over to kiss Julio sweetly on the lips. He climbed off the bed and headed into the bathroom, turning on the shower. Julio followed him. "We should go to the pool. You can wear one of your new bathing suits, and it will give me the opportunity to eavesdrop on conversations and discover if the ghost was spotted last night." 

Reflexively, before he could stop himself, Julio made a face. Star sighed. 

"Within reason," he clarified. "I still maintain any conversations conducted in public have some expectation of being overhead, but I know how you feel about privacy. I will listen for keywords, nothing else. This is not something I enjoy doing. People are very noisy. They give me a headache."

"Yeah, sorry, I totally get that." As Star watched, Julio pissed then grabbed a towel, wetting it under the stream of the shower. He soaped up his dick, giving it a thorough scrub. "Any requests for today?"

Star shook his head, eyes still fixed on Julio's cock. "No. You will look handsome in all of them."

Julio smiled. "Are you going to stare at my dick all day or...?"

Star finally looked up. "I will meet you there. I need to shower. Your semen is dripping down my leg." 

" _Star_ ," Julio groaned. "Why do you say these things when you know I have to put on a swimsuit?"

"Because," Star said with a smile and kissed him.

After tugging on the first swimsuit he found – a pair of low-waisted, form-fitting trunks that made his dick look absolutely huge – he grabbed his sunglasses, a bottle of sunscreen and one of the cabin keys. Tucking a tee-shirt and a pair of shorts under his arm, he slipped on a pair of flip flops then finally left.

The lido deck was only half full, sparser than Julio expected, but at least it made it easy to grab two lounge chairs that gave them the best view of the entire pool area. He grabbed two towels, laying them out on the chairs before he sat down. Squirting several strategic blobs of sunscreen over his body, he rubbed them into his skin as he surveyed the scene before him. There were a lot of dudes – _obviously_ , Julio thought, _that's some A-plus investigating, self_ – but more than that, everyone looked happy and relaxed and comfortable, even though he could easily pick out a few guys that were holding themselves back.

He didn't blame them. He was pretty sure he'd had nightmares that started like this and had typically ended with everyone noticing he had a hard-on and laughing. X-Force had stressed him the fuck out half the time. It was deeply unfair that every guy on that team had been so fucking hot. 

Shit like that was hard to forget or get over. He got it. He never thought he would be here either. 

And yet here he was.

Julio leaned back, taking in the sight, enjoying it. It was nice to be away from all the shit back home, somewhere nobody knew him or his story or all of his deep dark secrets that kept spilling out where everyone could see. He knew there was no point in dwelling on crap like that – what was done was done, he simply had to live with it now – but his brain just didn't work like that. 

"Hello," Star said, sweeping a hand across his shoulders. Julio looked up then did a double take.

"Holy fuck," Julio hissed, swallowing hard, reflexively bringing his legs together. Star looked... amazing. Mind-blowingly, incredibly amazing, and he knew it, which both infuriated and aroused Julio. His suit was little more than a swatch of cloth, bright yellow with a black band, cut dangerously low. 

"Do you like it?" 

"You know I do," Julio growled. "You look like a fucking Olympic diver."

"We do enjoy watching that sport together," Star agreed gamely, eyes dancing with merriment. He leaned down, and Julio automatically lifted his head for a kiss, touching his fingers to Star's neck. Despite the fact every part of him wanted to do a hundred filthy things to Star right in that moment, he settled on briefly licking his tongue into Star's mouth before pulling back. "This is all for you, Julio."

Julio flushed hotly, taking Star by the hips and pressing his face to his belly. "You're killing me, Star."

Star combed his fingers into Julio's hair, pushing it off his forehead. "I'm trying to," he confirmed. 

Julio looked up at him, already smiling, and Star smiled back, eyes bright and loving. Julio had no doubt that this was just the beginning of a week of bathing-suit-related torture, and he was completely on board for that. "You are honestly the hottest person I have ever seen in my life," Julio told him.

"I know," Star replied. As Julio laughed, Star's gaze shifted. "Did you want me to do your back?" 

"Yeah, if you don't mind, but do not be sexy about it. I'm about to tear through these trunks as it is."

Star made a sound of displeasure deep in his throat but held out his hand for Julio to squeeze a blob of sunscreen into. He then sat behind Julio on the deck chair and smeared the sunscreen over his back, clinical as he rubbed it into Julio's skin. Julio tried to think about anything but Star's elegant fingers.

"Your turn," Julio said when Star was done.

Star froze behind him. "No."

"Yes," Julio insisted, switching to Cadre. "We're undercover, remember? Get over here before you burn." He patted the empty space of chair in front of him, tugging at Star's wrist until he got up. "And don't give me that look," Julio added, trying not to smile as Star visibly sulked. "I know you hate this shit, but you have two settings: pale as fuck and lobster red. We're trying not to draw any attention."

"It feels terrible," Star muttered sullenly. He plopped down on the end of the deck chair. 

"I got the sensitive skin stuff," Julio assured him. "You won't even know it's there after a while."

Star sighed deeply, but let Julio rub the sunscreen all over him, even spreading it over his own chest without prompting. Julio took his time, pressing kisses to each part of Star's body before he applied it to that area. With both his hands, he stroked the cream down Star's arms. When he got to Star's left hand, he folded his fingers over Star's, touching their rings together. Only then did Star relax slightly.

"Okay," Julio said finally, patting Star on the butt, "I'm done."

Star climbed onto his own chair, looking thoroughly unamused. 

Julio reached over to squeeze his hand. "It's the curse of being a ginger, Star," he said with a smile. 

Star sighed again.

They lay in the sun for a bit, holding hands. He felt fuzzy in the head, but he honestly couldn't tell if that was the hangover or the ocean. His powers definitely felt different, muted, like the earth was too far away, but it also wasn't the giant, gaping hole that losing his powers had left behind. On some level, he knew he'd been worried about that, and it was a relief to still have that connection, even it was faint.

He also had no doubt, if he'd felt it disappear, Star would have teleported him off this ship immediately.

"Are you hearing anything?" Julio asked quietly, eyes closed, using Cadre again.

"There is a group who likely encountered it, but they are dismissing it as being a side effect of inebriation," Star replied, voice equally soft. His thumb swept over Julio's hand like a whisper. "It happened last night, while they were talking, away from the party. They are very drunk now as well."

"That's something. Good for them."

"No one else has said anything," Star said. "Perhaps we should go the pool and mingle."

"Ugh, that would require being friendly."

"I know it's not impossible for you," Star replied with a warm, knowing voice, "even if it is difficult."

Julio opened his eyes to glare at him, but Star just smiled back demurely. He stood up, stretching his hands over his head. His suit slipped dangerously low, the vee of his groin deliciously defined. Part of Julio wanted to hook his finger in Star's suit to pull back the waistband, just to see how he'd managed to get all his junk into such a small scrap of cloth. The other part just wanted to blow him.

"Are you coming?" Star asked, turning away. Julio barely had time to register how gorgeous Star's ass looked before Star was hooking two fingers into the speedo and tugging it down to more fully cover his cheeks. He looked at Julio over his shoulder, a faint smirk on his lips. "Or do you need a moment?" 

"You're such an asshole," Julio said with a low, throaty laugh. "Why did I marry you again?"

"You love me," Star replied. He held out his hand, and Julio took it, letting Star pull him to his feet. Star looked down admiringly, drawing a finger across Julio's belly. "You look incredible in your suit."

Julio slipped his hand around the back of Star's neck. "Everything you hoped for?"

Star nodded, colour sitting high on his cheeks. As Julio suspected, his bathing suit left nothing to the imagination, and he grinned at Star, leaning up to give him a knowing, open-mouthed kiss. Star moaned, leaning into him, then put a hand on Julio's belly, pushing him away. "Possibly too much."

Julio laughed again. "You started it."

"I never think these things through when it comes to you," Star admitted, and Julio kissed him again, just a quick, sweet peck, before taking off in the direction of the pool without looking back. Star made an audible sound in his throat then fell in step behind him. "Your buttocks look spectacular, Julio."

"Thank you for getting me something I would actually wear."

"You explicitly told me you would not wear a speedo. I do listen to you, Julio."

"The last time I wore a banana hammock, I got captured by Genoshan magistrates."

"I am not judging you," Star assured him. "I much prefer when you are comfortable and confident."

"Maybe someday," Julio muttered. 

It was a hot day, even with the breeze of the ocean. Julio found an open spot and slipped straight into the water, ducking under the surface, before surfacing just in time to watch Star lower himself in. The petty, possessive part of himself – that he tried not to acknowledge very often – took peculiar pleasure in seeing the admiring looks on the faces of the guys around Star. 

Julio knew exactly how hot Star was, and he liked knowing other people thought so, too. It'd taken him a long time to admit that, but it was true.

Julio leaned against the wall of the pool, hair dripping around his face. Star swam up to him, looping his arms loosely around Julio's shoulders. They stayed there like that for a while, Star's face pressed against Julio's neck, breathing naturally mirroring each other. The cool water felt nice, but Star felt nicer as Julio stroked his fingers over his back and torso, along his sides, over the swell of his ass. 

_I love him so much_ , Julio thought, closing his eyes. He didn't know what he'd ever do without him. 

Once, it might've been possible, but these days, a life without Star didn't seem like a life at all.

Eventually, despite the fact he seriously hated talking to strangers, he and Star agreed to separate. Star easily made friends, which Julio found mind-boggling, but Star had this way – when he wanted to – of putting people at ease. He was naturally kind but also charismatic and charming. It reminded him of Longshot, and he'd told that to Star once, just to see his reaction. He'd been both pleased and alarmed.

It was a part of Star that Julio saw more and more often, at least in day to day life. Out in the field, he was still a predator. His ruthlessness had raised more than one eyebrow, but it was rarely unnecessary violence. Star simply did what needed to be done, without remorse. That had never changed. But Star was more human now than he'd even been, even though the Mojoworld part of him was still there, too. 

Julio, on the other hand, had to force himself not to be sarcastic when out in public, which was so fucking hard to do. Some people responded well, but more often, they just thought he was an asshole.

"Don't scare anyone with your questions," Julio warned him as Star looked for his first victim.

"I won't," Star promised, a little too easily. At Julio's look, he added, "I will honestly try not to."

Star went and started talking to the people around them, effortlessly inserting himself into their conversations, asking them where they were from, if this was their first time on this cruise, what they recommended. Julio started his own conversations when he could, but Star was just better at all of it. Recognizing that, Julio drifted back to Star's side and mostly supported him as he worked the crowd.

Nobody had seen anything out of the ordinary. No glimpses of something strange, nothing that was keeping them up at night. If they're heard the rumours, they either didn't care or dismissed them as nonsense. If this was a ghost, Julio decided after an hour, it was the least terrifying one in existence.

They took lunch in their room, simply so they could speak freely. Julio just didn't have enough Cadre words in his vocabulary to discuss something like this, and English and Spanish were too common. It was tempting to go out on the spacious balcony, but they couldn't risk being overhead out there either.

"We need to find this thing," Julio said as Star put their food down on the table. "It's stressing me out."

"We will try again tonight. It clearly prefers the dark," Star replied, sitting down and tugging his chair close enough to Julio's that their knees bumped. Julio looked up at him, and Star smiled brightly. "So as we eat, I can stick my hand down your swimsuit," he explained sagely, like it was perfectly logical.

Julio snorted, picking up his fork and digging it into the pasta. "Why did you waste all that money buying me new clothes if you're just going spend our entire vacation trying to get me out of them?" 

Star kissed him on the cheek then reached for his own food. Under the table, he hooked an ankle around Julio's bare foot. "Why would you ask a question that you already gave the answer to?"

"Why are you so weird?"

"Why do you find that so attractive?"

They went back and forth like that for a while, eating, kissing, teasing. Julio thought about putting the champagne on ice again and then opening it, but he decided they should save that until they actually had something to celebrate, like solving this case. Midway through the meal, Star stayed true to his word and tucked his hand into Julio's swim trunks, his fingers idly fondling his cock and balls.

"You really like this swimsuit," Julio said, elbows on the table, trying not to react.

"I like the man _in_ the swimsuit," Star corrected him, kissing Julio's mouth when he smiled. "You should eat faster, Julio. I've decided I would like to blow you out on the balcony if you promise to be quiet."

Julio closed his eyes. "I'm going to join that ghost in a second, if you keep saying shit like that."

"At least it won't be so lonely then," Star replied, palm snug against Julio's cock, giving him a squeeze. 

Julio finished eating, shovelling in the food as quickly as he could swallow it, as Star stroked over him. When he was done, he pulled Star outside, into the warm sun and the salt breeze, and let Star push him down into the nearest chair. Star kneeled in front of him, settling between his open thighs. When Star looked up, his eyes were the same shade as the ocean; when he smiled, it was almost overwhelming.

After lunch, with the taste of Star still in his mouth after he'd returned the favour and gotten Star off, they headed back to the lido deck. It was a little more crowded, but it was clear the rumours had affected business. They claimed two seats close to the pool then Julio tortured Star by re-applying his sunscreen while Star sulked. As an apology, he let Star cover every inch of him and be as sexy about it as he wanted to be.

"I would heal," Star muttered in Julio's ear, fingers under the waistband of Julio's trunks. 

"Dude, I love you, but you are so gross after a sunburn, fucking skin everywhere," Julio replied, towel over his lap, a foot tucked under his opposite knee. He sincerely doubted he was fooling anyone. "Once you're done applying that shit to parts of me that will never see the sun, you should get us drinks."

Star snapped Julio's waistband. Julio could feel the slice of his smile against his back. "No, you."

"You'd think we'd never had sex before from the way my dick reacts to you," Julio muttered darkly.

"We are too compatible," Star agreed, kissing him on the curve of skin between his neck and shoulder. His arms curled around Julio's waist, hugging tightly, and Julio put his left hand over Star's, lacing their fingers together. Star nuzzled his ear. "And Julio, I will be perfectly honest, I need a moment as well." 

Julio snorted, and Star hugged him again, pressing his face to Julio's neck, laughing. Julio kept expecting that some day, he'd finally get used to being with Star, stop responding to all his obvious flirting and innuendo, stop thinking about him every moment of the day, overwhelmed by feeling. He joked about being desensitized to him, but he wasn't, not even close. And Star clearly felt the same. 

It was amazing. It was the best thing that had ever happened to him. 

"Okay, I believe I am ready," Star said eventually, voice steely with the level of determination he usually reserved for the battlefield. Julio tried not to smile. "I will get us drinks. Any requests?"

"Red," Julio said, not willing to let go of Star's hand until the very last second. Watching Star walk away, in that ridiculously tiny swimsuit, Julio slid on his sunglasses as if it would somehow hide the look on his face. Star paused halfway to adjust the speedo, and Julio had no doubt it was intentional. 

"Your husband is unnaturally hot," the man beside him remarked idly, as though it just needed to be said out loud. 

With a small hum of agreement, Julio sat back. He pressed the back of his hand to his mouth, the metal of the ring cool against his lips. From across the deck, Star smiled at him. He knew this aching, intense feeling in his chest had to ease some day, but the thought that it might almost made him want to cry.

They lounged around for the rest of the afternoon, alternating between sunning and swimming. Julio was a little worried Star would be bored, but he seemed to be adapting to cruise life well. As Julio dozed in the deck chair, mostly awake but in a vague, fuzzy sort of way, Star stroked his fingers over the dusting of dark hair on his lower belly. It was as if Star just couldn't bear to stop touching him.

After, they returned to the room and got changed for dinner. Julio tugged on a white button up shirt and a pair of olive green shorts. His hair was just long enough to tie back, so he loosely knotted it, getting it off his neck. Wandering back into the main room, Star quickly tugged him in by the waist.

Star ran his fingertips over Julio's hairline. "I like this look."

Smiling, Julio leaned up and kissed him.

They were only a few minutes late for their dinner reservation, but it was worth it. Kissing Star was one of his all time favourite things to do with him. And holding hands across the table while they ate – which Julio would have previously dismissed as completely ridiculous – was quickly climbing the list. 

"I have decided what to get," Star announced, closing the menu. "I am getting the chicken breast."

Julio groaned. "Did you honestly just take twenty minutes to pick the most boring option available?"

"I definitely did," Star agreed easily, ignoring Julio's eye roll. "And I will split a dessert with you."

He said it so magnanimously that Julio laughed out loud, drawing looks from the tables around them.

"Oh, no, you aren't. Holiday Julio eats his dessert by himself. I will eat half of yours, though, if you insist. I might puke, but hey, it's vacation." Julio picked up his wine glass, drained it in one gulp, then held it out in Star's direction. "While we're on the topic, fill me up please, babe. To the brim is fine."

"I would rather you not vomit," Star told him as he poured. "I will eat my own dessert in that case."

"You should drink more of this wine, too," Julio suggested, body pleasantly warm and tingly already. Sadly, he had no plans to get shit-faced again tonight, but some good food and drink would help with the stress levels, for both of them. It'd been a rough few weeks. He hoped the mission didn't follow the same pattern of disaster, despair and sleepless nights. 

Star smiled as he filled his own glass. "You're a bad influence, Julio."

"I warned you about that years ago," Julio replied, grinning. " _Salud_ , Star. Happy honeymoon to us."

Star carefully touched his wine glass to Julio's. "Yes, very happy," he said quietly, eyes shining brightly.

Several hours later, Julio was cursing his entire existence. As everyone else was partying, dancing and having fun, they were slinking around the ship, trying not to draw any attention. They were dressed in matching silvery shorts and delicate, glittery wings, which Julio had not questioned and just gone with.

"This is not my favourite part of investigative missions," Star admitted, checking his watch again.

They'd even hauled out the ridiculous ghost hunting equipment Star had gotten swindled on, but nothing – not even the EMF recorder – had picked up anything odd. They hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary, though they had stumbled on three different pairs of dudes trying to hook up in peace. 

"This is like trying to find a needle in a haystack." 

"It's worse," Star said, holding up his phone and taking another series of pictures in burst mode, as if it was going to pick up anything this time, "because we do not even know what this needle looks like."

"Way to be positive, Star," Julio muttered, scrubbing his hands through his hair, shaking some of the glitter out of it. He glared at Star, who didn't look the least bit sorry for what he had done. "Seriously, how are we supposed to find this thing if it doesn't want to be found? I didn't really appreciate the size of this ship until now. This is so fucking frustrating." 

"We'll find it, Julio," Star told him, putting a hand on his back. "But I agree it is frustrating."

Julio exhaled sharply, leaning over with his arms braced on the railing to stare out into the darkness. 

Star joined him, bumping him with his shoulder. "How are you doing otherwise?"

"Fine," Julio said. "Better than yesterday, anyway. Still don't like boats all that much, but I'm okay. It's been a good day. I love spending time with you. I'm low-key stressed all the time, but when am I not?"

"Do you still feel like you are bad at being gay?"

Julio groaned, burying his face in his arms. "Can you just ignore me when I say embarrassing shit like that?" Star's hand swept comfortingly down at his back before curling around his waist and tugging him in nice and close. "No. Not today anyway. Ask me tomorrow when we actually have to leave the ship." 

"Do you not want to disembark? We don't have to. As you said, we have seen Mexican beaches before." 

"I miss home," Julio mumbled. The _I miss my family_ went unspoken, like it always did. 

Star hugged him tighter, pressing a kiss into his hair. "I know you do, Julio."

Julio looked up at him, smiling despite himself. "You have glitter all over your lips now."

"Yes, I can feel it. I apologize. It seemed like a good idea at the time," Star admitted, allowing Julio to try to wipe the worst of it off with his thumb. "Do you want to join the party? It runs for another hour."

"Nah," Julio said easily, taking Star by the hand and tugging him towards the nearest door. "Let's go back to the room. We can shower, get this shit out of our hair and off your mouth, and then we'll see what else we're up for. I bet, if I'm quiet, we could get away with a quick fuck out on the balcony."

"That sounds perfect," Star agreed, wings bobbing behind him as he walked. 

Julio smiled at him again, feeling the last of his stress melt away. 

Star was right. They'd just try again tomorrow. Easy.


	4. The Third Day

The next morning, Julio woke up with the sun on his face. Star was out on the balcony, naked, upside down and balanced on one arm. Smiling, Julio got up and went outside to watch, not bothering to dress either. He slid open the balcony door and closed it behind him. He settled down in one of the chairs. 

"Good morning," Star said without opening his eyes.

"Morning," Julio replied, pulling a knee to his chest so he could rest his chin on it. "Everything okay?"

"Yes, fine." Star took a deep breath, held it, then slowly let it out. "I went over the footage from last night. Nothing, as we suspected. I saved all the pictures I took of you. You look beautiful in them."

Julio smirked. "We're doing a pretty shitty job documenting our amazing vacation. I haven't posted a single picture. Though I wish I had my phone right now. This is an amazing sight to wake up to."

"I'm glad you're happy," Star replied with a slight smile. "Now, please stop distracting me, Julio."

Julio made a noise of agreement, turning his head to look out at the ocean. Even though it muffled the feeling of the earth beneath him, it was beautiful. He was still looking forward to the day on shore, just to stick his feet in the sand. They had to repeat yesterday's casual information gathering, but after that, Julio hoped they could go into the town and walk around, maybe grab a bite to eat, do a little shopping.

He hadn't been back to Mexico since leaving that last time, after he and Star had gone their separate ways. There had been no reason to. 

His family had been completely destroyed by what he and Star had been forced to do to make them _stop_. Three senseless deaths, dozens of his family members in prison, and he hadn't talked to anyone since then, not even his own mother. 

His personal life had ended up in shambles. It was a hard period to think about, even now. There were a million reasons why he and Star hadn't worked then, but it probably came down to age, inexperience and fear of their own feelings. They'd split up before the damage could become permanent. 

He'd lost his best friend, his family and his sense of self in Mexico. 

At least he had two of those back now. Maybe the family thing would work itself out someday, but he wasn't holding his breath. 

"I love you, Julio," Star said suddenly, folding his legs down to the floor before slowly straightening. He walked over to Julio, sitting in his lap with a smile. "Today will be a good day," he assured him.

Julio smoothed his palms over Star's hips. "It always is with you, _corazón_. I love you, too."

Star put his hands on Julio's face and kissed him.

Julio packed a day bag for both him and Star, ignoring Star when he started making noise about taking the swords. It was half-hearted, at best, and Star left them behind without too much prodding. They had a quick breakfast at the buffet before heading out for the day, hand in hand. Julio kicked off his sandals the minute they hit the beach, happily curling his toes in the sand as Star watched him, smiling fondly.

"I'm making you wear sunscreen again," Julio told him. 

"Why do you hate me?" Star asked with a deep sigh, protesting only a little as Julio led him to an area where they could lay down their towels and spread out. Julio watched as Star tugged off his shirt and shimmied out of his shorts, revealing his swimsuit. It was somehow even smaller than the one from the day before, dark blue with white stripes. Setting the waistband lower on his hips, Star adjusted himself. 

Julio closed his eyes, pressing his hands together and bringing them to his mouth. 

"What are you doing?" Star asked curiously.

Julio took a deep breath. "Praying to the bathing suit gods that I don't come right now." 

"You're so easy," Star murmured, sliding his hands under Julio's shirt and pulling it over his head. He moved to Julio's shorts, pushing them down, then stepped back to admire his handiwork. Julio tilted his hips, playing it up because Star loved shit like that. Star hummed appreciatively. "Like a mitten..."

"Glove," Julio said before he even finished. Star rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. 

"Do you like your bathing suit, Julio?" he asked.

Julio nodded, enjoying Star's openly admiring gaze. He had no idea when he would ever wear any of these suits again, but there was no denying Star's eye for flattering swimwear. Basic, tight-fitting trunks with three large stripes, all different shades of green.

"We should go swimming," Star suggested. "The fabric will cling even tighter when it is wet."

"Sunscreen first," Julio insisted, grabbing Star by the wrist before he could march off. 

With another long-suffering sigh, he sat cross-legged while Julio applied the lotion, taking extra care to rub it into Star's skin and make him feel good. When he was done, he let Star do the same to him, trying to think of terrible things, like training drills and listening to authority figures. "That couple discussing whether they can find another pair for beach volleyball saw the ghost last night," Star said.

"If we play them, you have to lose," Julio warned him. 

"Julio."

"Undercover, remember? Low profile. You have to throw the game. Can you do that?"

Star thought about it a lot longer than Julio would have liked before finally grinding out a rough, "yes."

"Are you sure?"

"I was technically an actor, Julio," Star remind him loftily then added, "and this is technically exercise."

" _Fuck_ ," Julio swore, ignoring Star's pleased little hum.

As Julio tried to think of a way to invite themselves to a game with complete strangers, Star just marched right up to them and asked if they were almost done, because he and his husband hoped to play, even though everyone had only just been let off the ship and not enough time could have possibly passed. How convenient, then, when it turned out they were looking for another couple to play with.

Julio sighed. 

"Oscar," one of the men said, holding out his hand. Julio shook it. "This is my husband, Andres."

"Hey," Andres said, also offering his hand. _At least they have manners_ , Julio thought ruefully. 

"Julio," he said, "and my husband Alistair. You can just call him Star. It's easier."

Oscar nodded, taking a drink from his water bottle. Both guys were pretty fit, but Oscar was taller, with a similar build to Star. He'd be the one Star went after, and Julio could only pray Star knew how to intentionally lose a game, with dignity. He'd never personally witnessed it. "Where are you guys from?"

"Originally Mexico, but I've been in America for over a decade," Julio said. 

"I am American, and that is also where I am from," Star said, sounding hilariously robotic. Julio struggled to keep his face neutral. They were so bad at undercover work. "What about you guys?"

"Colombia. Both of us," Andres replied. He clapped his hands together. "So... are we ready to do this?"

It'd been a long time since Julio had played volleyball. He didn't exactly have the stature for it – he was by far the shortest of the four of them – but he knew the rules, and he was ready to break his vow of sloth in exchange for information about the ghost. Beside him, Star was warming up with a series of stretches. 

"Remember what I said," Julio murmured, hoping he wouldn't pull anything by going in cold. 

Star stood up, rolling his shoulders. "I know, Julio."

They flipped a coin for first serve, and Oscar and Andres won. The game turned out to be way more fun than Julio was expecting. Star's suit barely stayed on, which Julio decided was a nice perk and definitely helped him not to pay as much attention to the ball as he could have. Between sets, they hung around, drinking water and chatting. It was during the second break that Oscar mentioned they had seen something super weird last night, but it was probably the booze.

"I think it was a ghost," Andres added, looking up at Oscar. Oscar has his arm looped across Andres' shoulders. "The reviews said this particular ship was probably haunted. There have been sightings."

"I think it was the obscene amount of alcohol we drank," Oscar said, cutting him off. 

"Sounds terrifying," Julio said. "Where did you see it? What were you doing at the time?"

Andres shrugged loosely. "Oh, you know. Enjoying each other's company. In a private location."

With a pained expression, Oscar shook his head. "When he says it like that, it sounds like we were fucking. We weren't. We were talking about our future, buying a house, maybe having kids. I mean, growing up, I never thought I would have any of that and still be happy, but then I met this guy, and the world just opened up."

"Julio did the same for me," Star said, touching his hand to the back of Julio's neck. "And I believe he would say something similar."

"Yeah, I would," Julio replied, smiling at him, and Star kissed him. Quickly, Julio looked away and cleared his throat. Star really had to stop doing shit like that. It made focussing on the mission impossible. "So where were you?" he asked, changing the subject. 

"The library," Oscar admitted after a moment of hesitation. "It's been pretty empty at night."

Andres smirked. "The chairs are comfy. And after your heart to heart, you can neck like teenagers."

Oscar chuckled, expression fond and loving. Julio wondered how often he looked like that to others, when he was around Star. 

"Okay," Andres said, tossing his water bottle into the sand. "Are we ready to finish this?"

"You are not going to win," Star said woodenly, and Julio swallowed his sigh. He was trying at least.

Oscar and Andres won – though it was way too fucking close at the end – and they said their goodbyes. Slick with sweat and already feeling it in the muscles of his legs, Julio dropped his water bottle off at the towels. "I'm going for a dip, if you'd like to join me. Unless you want to sit alone and sulk."

"Even if we were typical humans, we would have won," Star muttered darkly. 

Julio smiled, slipping his arm around Star's waist. "I guess we'll never know."

" _I'll_ know," Star said but allowed Julio to lead him down to the water. After a few minutes of splashing around and salty kisses, Star was back to his normal self. Under the water, Julio traced his fingers over the lines of his groin, like he'd been wanting to since Star took off his clothes. "You like this one." 

"I like the man in the suit," Julio said, grinning, parroting Star's words back at him. 

Star touched a hand to Julio's chest, lightly brushing a nipple. "Like or love?"

"You really gotta ask? I've loved you since I was eighteen years old."

"I just enjoy hearing it," Star told him, pressing a kiss to his jaw, his cheek, and, finally, his mouth. 

At one point, Star decided he needed some pictures of them. Dripping wet, Star jogged after a random guy and convinced him take a few photos with Julio's phone. They went through a series of escalating poses. The first image was simply them in the water, smiling at the camera, but inevitably, they ended entangled. Julio tried his best to relax and trust this stranger not to drop his phone in the ocean.

After, they thanked the guy, and he was kind enough to tuck Julio's phone back in their bag as he left. 

They stayed out there, in the water, for a long time. Sometimes swimming in circles aimlessly; sometimes splashing around like idiots. But mostly, they just stayed together, Julio's arms around Star's neck, Star's low around his back, swaying with the waves, murmuring to each other, laughing.

It was one of the most perfect moments of Julio's life.

Later, they dried off and changed back into their shirts and shorts, packing up and heading into town. Star carried the bag, doing that thing with his hand again, giving Julio the option of whether he wanted to hold it or not. Julio didn't hesitate, folding their fingers together. "You thought I wouldn't want to?"

Star shrugged, expression shuttered, like it always was when he didn't want to hurt Julio's feelings. 

Julio could understand why Star held himself back, especially here, in Mexico. 

"I'm sorry for how I acted back then. Making you feel like it was something to be ashamed of."

"You never made me feel like that when we were alone," Star assured him, letting the rest of it go unspoken. "I understand now, why you would have not wanted your family to know. Even if I still believe you are the best of them and that it would have been their failing, not yours, if they responded poorly."

"Fuck them anyway," Julio said. "I honestly don't give a shit what they think anymore."

Star squeezed his hand. "Good. You shouldn't. You deserve to be happy."

Julio leaned into him, kissing him on the shoulder. They continued to walk, occasionally pausing to look at a menu. Eventually, Julio found a place that seemed less like a tourist trap and more like his mom's kitchen, which had always been chaotic. If food wasn't coming out of the oven, it was going in. 

They were seated at a table by the window. Julio already knew what he was getting, but Star would need at least fifteen minutes with the menu, so he stared out through the glass, people watching. He wondered what the town thought about having a cruise ship full of dudes into other dudes showing up in port on a semi-regular basis.

He tried to imagine what he would have thought, when he was younger. He was pretty sure he'd have run screaming in the other direction. That, or tried to stowaway because he'd known from a pretty young age that something about him wasn't _normal_. When his powers had manifested, he had hoped that explained the feeling, but as he got older and became more sexually curious, he knew it hadn't. 

Julio sighed and put his hand on the table. 

Without looking up from the menu, Star took it, thumb sweeping idly over the inside of Julio's wrist. 

Comforted, he switched to wondering what they looked like to other people. Believably married, evidently, and probably disgustingly saccharine, which Julio felt like telling people wasn't actually normal behaviour for him. 

Julio was as openly affectionate as he could force himself to be, and he had zero problems calling Star his boyfriend – because that's exactly what he was and fuck anyone who had a problem with it – but this sappy shit, like holding hands across the table or kissing constantly in public, just wasn't something he ever did. 

In private, he was more open with Star than he'd ever been with anyone. Mostly because he didn't care what anybody thought about how he behaved in his own home. It was none of their business. But did Star want him to act more like this public? He'd never actually asked. Star didn't complain about his behaviour, but Star had always had the lowest of bars when it came to what he expected from Julio.

"What are you thinking about?" Star asked, eyes still fixed on the menu. "Your pulse has increased."

"Going home."

Star finally looked up, frowning deeply. "Are you not having a good time?"

"What? No. I mean, yes, I'm having a great time. Other than the fact I feel like we haven't made any progress at all with the you-know-what, this has been amazing. That's the problem." Star raised an eyebrow, and Julio shook his head. "Fuck, I'm explaining this poorly. Do you want more from me?"

Star pursed his lips together. "What do you mean?" he asked, finally, after a long pause. 

"I don't know. Do you want me to kiss you more? Like, where other people can see?"

"Do _you_ want to kiss me more?"

"I always want to kiss you," Julio replied. "I'm just not good with public displays of affection."

Star still looked confused, like he had no idea where Julio was going with this. "I know that."

"Would you prefer if I was better? Is that something you would change about me, if you could?"

"Julio," Star said, leaning forward, a gentle expression on his face, "I love you like you are. I would not ask you to change, if you didn't want to and you weren't harming yourself. If you want to be more affectionate with me, I would, of course, enjoy that greatly, but I also want you to be happy. _Codlista_?"

" _Codlista_ ," Julio agreed softly. "But then you have to stop waiting for me to give you permission. I'm telling you that whatever you want – hugs, kisses, holding hands, whatever – I'm always game. Okay?"

Star smiled. "Okay," he said then added, "I need another few minutes with the menu."

"Trust me, I am the least surprised person on the planet. I'll try not to starve to death in the meantime."

Star pointedly ignored him.

After lunch – which satisfied the craving Julio had been feeling for home-cooked, familiar food – they headed out to walk off the meal. The streets were lined with vendors hawking various wares. Star was incredibly susceptible to being reeled in by a good story, so Julio kept an eye on him as he casually browsed trough the stalls. After years of just getting gifts for Star, he now had in-laws to think about.

 _Except you're not actually married_ , his brain reminded him, but it was semantics at this point. Star had parents – one of who had thought to ask when her son was actually born – and now they spent the holidays together. It had been awkward as fuck at first, but like everything with them, it got easier with time. 

"We should get something for your parents," Julio said as Star wandered back in his direction.

"Why?"

"Because we're on vacation, and it's traditional to bring back souvenirs. Might as well grab something for Tabs and Rahne, too. Really rub it in," Julio said, grinning, as Star peered over his shoulder at the set of earrings he'd found, pale blue stones set in the centre of a wire star. "For Alison, do you think?"

"I think she would like them," Star said. 

Julio paid for them. They headed further down the street. They got a wallet for Longshot, on the off chance he ever stopped living off a single maxed out credit card, and a soft wool scarf for Rahne in a pale green that matched her eyes. Tabs was a little harder, but he found a beaded necklace in bright colours that he thought she might like. Star, clearly bored of shopping for others, wandered off again.

Julio continued looking around, when his eyes settled on a bracelet, the beads a metallic grey that reminded him of the colour of Star's swords. Star didn't usually accessorize, but Julio bought it anyway.

Julio tucked his purchases in the bag then looked around, locating Star immediately. Ginger-haired and half a foot taller than everyone around him, he stood out. When Julio came up behind him, Star turned around, holding three golden bangles that had been twisted together. He slid them onto Julio's wrist. 

"You used to have some like this." 

"Yeah, years ago," Julio said slowly. 

"You wore them that night. At Limelight. Do you remember?"

"Yeah," Julio replied. "I mean, they're not the most memorable thing about that night, but yeah, I do."

"Why did you stop wearing them?" Star asked, tracing his finger over the inside of Julio's wrist, following the line of the bangles. "You used to wear them all the time, and then you stopped. Why?"

"Someone told me they looked gay," Julio replied flatly, not sure where Star was going with this, but they'd been picking at each other's emotional wounds all day, so maybe it was just more of that. At Star's stormy look, he added, "and it doesn't matter who said it. They had no idea it hurt so much."

"I thought it was something like that," Star said, after a pause, still clearly troubled but letting it go, as Julio had asked. "I liked how they looked on you. Would you wear these, if I bought them for you?"

"I would," Julio assured him, smiling. 

"Good," Star said, "because I already did."

Julio snorted softly then touched his fingers to Star's arm. "Can I see your wrist please?" 

Star dutifully held out his hand, and Julio took out the bracelet he'd bought for him, hair hiding his face as he clasped it securely around Star's arm. When he was done, he looked up at Star, whose smile was wide and beautiful. Star put his palms on Julio face and kissed him thoroughly as Julio laughed.

They returned to the ship, arms slung around each other, unable to stop smiling like fools. Clearly, this vacation had addled their brains somehow, but he was just so in love with Star. He was having such a good time, and he wanted everyone to know how happy he was. He honestly couldn't help himself.

Back in the room, Star lifted him up and carried him to the bed, depositing him there with a grin. Star took his time stripping off Julio's clothes, kissing each swath of skin as it was revealed. Once Julio was naked, Star looked down at him, running a single finger from Julio's neck all the way down to his aching cock, which was so ready for whatever Star had in mind. 

"I love you like this," he said reverently. He dipped his head and licked over Julio's belly, fingers pressed into Julio's hips, holding him still. When Star's mouth closed over his cock, one hand moving to press flat against his belly, Julio closed his eyes and made a pleased sound low in his throat. 

Star sucked him for a while, relaxed, not urgent in the slightest. Julio laid back and just enjoyed it. 

Eventually, Julio got annoyed with the fact Star was still dressed and guided him off his cock. Julio pushed him back, ignoring Star's grin. Julio started with Star's shirt before moving onto his shorts, pausing when he reached his swimsuit. Star was fully hard, cock leaking and beautifully outlined against the straining fabric. A damp patch had soaked into his suit. Julio mouthed him through the cloth before peeling the tiny speedo down his legs. He sucked him for a bit in the same lazy fashion. 

Just as he thought Star might come, Julio pulled off with a pop. Star groaned, and Julio leaned up to kiss him, swallowing his protest. Without looking, he reached for the lube and popped the cap. After asking if he wanted a condom – which Star declined – Julio spread the slick evenly over Star's cock.

Star held his hand out for his own palmful, which Julio happily provided.

With a low hum of anticipation, he rolled onto his back, spreading his legs and opening himself up. He smiled when Star leaned over him and starting fucking him with his finger, slow and easy. 

"This okay with you?" Julio asked, just in case Star wanted something else.

"Absolutely," Star agreed, sliding in a second finger, twisting deeply, before adding a third. The stretch was wonderful, exactly what Julio needed right then. Star pulled his fingers out then skimmed his hands over Julio's thighs, behind his knees. "You always look so beautiful when I am fucking you." 

With one amazing thrust, Star slid hard into him. Julio grinned, pushing back at him, almost folded in half. Star's hands took the weight of his legs, palms pressed firm to the damp skin at the bends of Julio's knees. It was a slow fuck – the type they didn't always take time for – but dinner was still hours away, and after the day they'd had together, it was the perfect conclusion. They kissed deeply, tongues sliding together, pressing in, gliding out, as Star's hips worked against his, matching the same amazing rhythm.

Star came with a sudden, surprised groan, like he hadn't expected it either. Julio, who had been lost in the feeling, sighed softly, eyes closed. When Star pulled back from the kiss, he cracked one open.

"What?" he asked, voice thick with lust, his neglected cock hard against his belly.

"Trust me," Star told him, sliding out of his body, leaving him empty and wanting.

"What the fuck, dude?" Julio protested, a little more with it, but Star just smiled at him. 

"Trust me," Star repeated. 

Star returned to how they'd started, taking Julio into his mouth. It felt amazing, but Julio wanted more, ached for it, legs spread impossibly wide. Star, who always knew was he needed, added his fingers, fucking three of them into Julio's ass, stretching him, rubbing at his prostate. Then Star added a fourth.

"Shit, that's good," Julio breathed, twisting on the bed, spine arched. "I'm close. Harder. Fuck me harder."

Star hummed around him, taking him deep, nose pressing against the skin on Julio's belly, before pulling back. At the same time, his fingers drove into Julio's body, twisting, bumping against his prostate, and it was just too much. Too fucking much. Keening, he twisted his hands in the sheets.

Star pulled off him. "Let go," he demanded before lowering his head to suck at him again. 

Star fucked into him one last time, hard and perfect, and Julio came with a loud cry, shaking and writhing on Star's fingers, spurting hot down Star's throat. It felt like his orgasm lasted forever.

"Shit," Julio gasped, staring up at the ceiling, eyes embarrassingly wet. 

"So beautiful," Star repeated, sliding up next to him, holding up his messy, glistening fingers.

Flustered, Julio pulled Star in for another kiss. They made out for a while then napped for a bit, curled up around each other. He woke half an hour later, sticky, a little rank, with Star smiling at him. They fucked again, Julio on his hands and knees, Star leaning over him, kissing along the line of his shoulders. Julio came first, Star's fist tight around his cock, stroking him, and Star followed soon after.

"This is the best vacation I have ever had," Star announced, flopping over him, still deep inside. 

"It's been pretty good," Julio agreed, wiggling his ass a little, just to hear Star moan. "Shower?"

"I will carry you." Star lifted Julio off the bed without pulling out, holding him in the most undignified position Julio could have imagined. He started cracking up almost immediately. Star didn't pay any attention to Julio's laughter or the absurdity of the pose. "I'm confident I can make you come again."

Eventually, Julio stopped laughing. Star had been right, of course. He usually was.

Since they still had a bit of time to kill before dinner, Julio mapped the updated locations of the ghost sightings. Star had managed to pick up a little chatter while they were roaming around, which he added to the map. Just to make sure they hadn't missed anything, Julio went back over the reviews from the two previous cruises the ship had sailed, looking for any extra information he might have overlooked.

"It definitely has a preference," Julio said, sitting back, feet propped up on one of the other chairs.

"That is still a very large area," Star remarked, standing behind Julio, rubbing his shoulders. It felt amazing, especially after all the incredible sex. Julio hummed appreciatively every time Star hit a particularly nice spot. "Even if it clearly prefers couples or groups, it might make sense to split up. It could simply be that there are less solo travellers to haunt." 

"Let's see what happens tonight. If we strike out again, we can split up tomorrow. The ship's docked until two in the morning, which means we can roam around at night when the ship is mostly empty." 

"Sounds like a plan," Star agreed, kissing the side of his head, at his temple. "You smell like me."

Julio smiled, closing his laptop as he stood up. "I wonder why."

They headed off to dinner, hand-in-hand, Star occasionally snuffling into his hair, enjoying his scent. They split a bottle of red wine, and Star had the chicken breast again, which was – Julio was willing to admit – as delicious as it was boring. They both had dessert, and then it was just a matter of waiting until the sun set. They went back to their room and changed into matching outfits – black, high-waisted bell-bottoms, striped cropped tops and sailor hats. Julio stared at himself in the mirror for a long time. 

"Do you not like it?" Star asked, brushing his hand over Julio's exposed belly. "It's a nautical theme." 

"I look ridiculous," Julio said flatly. 

"I disagree. You look cute," Star told him, pressing a kiss to his neck, fingers tracing circles over his abs. Somehow, Star pulled off the look perfectly, as usual. "I miss when you wore shirts like this."

"You're the only one," Julio assured him, scowling, but he let Star drag him out of the room. 

They looked around the shops on board and had another drink – purple – in the lounge. Julio insisted, if they were going to walk around looking like this, that Star should at least dance with him before they spent the rest of the night chasing shadows. Star gave him three songs before they finally slipped away.

They roamed for a bit, checking every hot spot they had documented, before heading to the library, which was empty. Star stood around as Julio looked through the selection of books, running his fingers over the spines as he walked. Eventually, Julio collapsed into one of the chairs. It lived up to the hype.

"This chair is crazy comfortable," Julio murmured, tilting his head back. "You should sit down."

"Good idea," Star said. Julio looked up just as Star sat down on his lap, back against one armrest, his legs hanging over the other. Julio never got over how light he was. Even though he'd filled out in recent years – more mature, meatier thighs, rounder ass – he was still easy to carry if the situation called for it. 

Julio yawned, fingers stroking over Star's back. "I'm exhausted, dude. That was a great day."

"It was," Star agreed, fingers combing into Julio's hair. "How is your ass doing?"

Julio snorted softly. "It's good. Thanks for asking." 

Star grinned, clearly pleased with himself, and Julio slipped his hand under the back of his shirt, to better follow the line of his spine. In the distance, he could hear the bass from the party, but it was otherwise quiet. Julio closed his eyes, focussing on the weight of Star in his lap, the twist of Star's fingers in his hair and the expanse of smooth naked skin under his palm. Julio sighed happily.

Everything was finally coming together. His head seemed okay – not perfect, but okay – and his outlook on life was the most positive it had ever been, even if he still had moments of deep pessimism. His employment situation could be a little better, sure, but Star was right: they were fine, money-wise, even if he stressed about it. He hated the idea of moving again, but he had accepted it didn't make sense to live there, paying rent, when they could live rent-free in Star's new building. But most importantly, he had a boyfriend who loved him unequivocally and accepted him for all his idiosyncrasies.

An amazing, supportive, kind boyfriend that he loved back, who was flourishing in his own life, confident and beautiful and healthy, who finally knew exactly who he was and what he wanted. Instead of grieving over Cable, Star had come away from the whole thing more determined than ever to control his own destiny. He still had moments of profound sadness, but they were few and far between. Star, more than ever before, was facing the future with a hope and determination that Julio almost envied.

It was a good situation. One they could thrive in, together and apart. Long overdue, for both of them.

Star stopped playing with his hair, shifting slightly, before he took Julio's left hand. Julio opened his eyes, smiling as he watched Star compare their hands, pale against tan, with twin silver rings. They looked good, natural. Julio still had no idea where Star had gotten them or how much he had spent. He almost didn't want to know, because they looked expensive, and he doubted they could be returned. 

"I have never been happier, Julio."

Julio smiled, feeling heat spring to his eyes, which surprised him. But it always surprised him, how deep his love for Star went, because it didn't feel possible to love someone this much. He and Star had both been pretty cynical during their early friendship. To come this far together was just so unexpected.

He took a deep breath, blinking rapidly. Star cupped his face. 

"Don't hide your emotion from me, Julio. I want to see it. It's beautiful." 

"It's just overwhelming," Julio whispered, sniffing. Star touched Julio's cheek with his left hand. 

"I know it is," he said, eyes shimmering the dim light. He'd always been a sympathetic crier. 

Julio laughed roughly, dragging the back of his hand over his nose as Star continued to smile at him. It would have been easy to blame the booze or the sun or a million other things, but it was just them and their messy, human feelings. Julio opened his mouth, witty retort ready to go, but the words died instantly on his tongue. 

The ghost was behind Star, watching them, but it wasn't a ghost at all. Julio could tell from the pressure in his head that it was something psychic, telepathic, an astral form that he could somehow see. Star, sensing its presence, froze in his lap. It had a human form, and that form was young, probably late teens. 

"Hey," Julio said, soft, trying not to startle him. 

He thought it would have worked, except two guys came tumbling into the room, visibly surprised to see it was already occupied. The ghost faded back into the wall. Julio unceremoniously shoved Star off his lap, rushing outside, but there was no sign of it in the corridor. He could hear Star lecturing the pair on the proper use of libraries, which normally would have been funny, except they had _finally_ seen the ghost only to lose him.

When he returned to the library, Star was alone.

"That was an astral projection," Julio said. "He tried to get past my shields."

"I understand what the others have been saying now," Star told him, sitting down on the back of the chair, crossing his arms. "I could feel his sadness, but it was very vague, and I can no longer sense it." 

"If I'm right and he's human, then he can be reasoned with. _If_ we can find him and he can, like, communicate. I mean, the bright side is he's not dead. Probably. But what the hell is he doing here?"

"I don't know," Star replied, clearly troubled. "Do you believe it is worth it to try and find him again?"

"If it was me, I'd lay low for a while, but who knows?" Julio exhaled sharply. "You know what? Fuck it. I'd feel better if we took another look around. At least we have an idea of what to look for now."

"It's the best lead we've gotten," Star agreed, standing up. They headed outside together.

But they couldn't find him. They spent another two hours roaming the hallways, but there was nothing. No signs of the ghost, no pressure in his head, just... nothing. They returned to their room, disappointed.

Julio banged off a quick email to Kitty, giving an update on everything. He made a request that Cerebra run another scan of the ship, ideally at multiple points in the day but specifically at night. Honestly, he didn't expect anything new. Marco had been very thorough before calling in the X-Men, and he'd already had a telepath on site. Kitty had also run her own scans before getting him and Star involved. 

But stranger things had happened, so he asked anyway. Sitting back, he closed his laptop. 

It didn't feel like much, but it was a starting point, and one they'd desperately needed. 

"Ready for bed?" Julio asked as Star stared out the window into the night, still looking troubled.

Star nodded. He undressed efficiently then fitted himself snugly against Julio's body, laying his head on his chest. "I will work on strengthening my mental shields during tomorrow's meditation. If we are dealing with a high level telepath, I am at somewhat of a disadvantage. My swords will not help us."

Julio wrapped his arms around Star, holding him tight, like he liked. "That's probably a good idea."

Star nodded again, and he felt him sigh. Closing his eyes, the steady roll of the ocean lulling him into a state of deep relaxation, Julio was on the cusp of sleep when Star said, "he reminded me of you."

Julio didn't say anything, just rubbed Star's back until he finally relaxed. Despite how close he had been, it took Julio a while to fall asleep, long after Star did. Julio remembered being that sad and lonely. He wouldn't have wished that existence on his worst enemy, especially not some poor kid.


	5. The Fourth Day

Julio woke up lying on his side, naked. The covers were inexplicably missing, but he wasn't cold. Star sat cross-legged on the bed, deep in meditation, and he had pressed himself against Julio's back. Star naturally ran warm without being overly sweaty, which Julio had always appreciated. With a sigh, he turned over, snuggling in a little closer. He smiled when Star reached back and carded his fingers through Julio's sleep-tangled hair.

"You were sleeping so soundly. I didn't want to wake you," Star said, thumb tracing Julio's cheekbone. "You may not like boats, but you seem to sleep well on them. You make me want to stay in bed longer."

"If I had my way, we'd never leave it," Julio replied, rubbing his hand over Star's thigh. He glanced over at the clock and sighed. "But we arrive in port in, like, an hour, and I should take a shower."

"I waited for you," Star told him, and Julio snorted softly. Of course he did. 

Star followed him into the bathroom then stood directly behind him as he pissed, chin hooked over Julio's shoulder, a hand pressed intimately to Julio's belly. Julio could feel Star's cock, semi-hard, poking lazily between his ass cheeks. It took an enormous amount of concentration to actually go. 

Still shadowed by Star, Julio turned on the water in the shower, letting it heat up. "You okay?" 

"Fine," Star said, hands curving around Julio's hips, face pressed into Julio's messy hair. 

"I guess it's my turn to ask if you want to stay on board today. If you'd rather look around, I'm good to do that." Star didn't say anything, and Julio turned in his grasp. He touched his knuckles to Star's cheek, gently stroking. "Or we can let Cerebra run the scans I asked for, kill some time then come back and follow the original plan. Split up once it gets dark, cover more ground, and get this thing sorted out." 

"It would probably be a waste, trying to find him during the day time," Star said, after a moment of hesitation. "He will likely be harder to find tonight. I am interested to discover if he appeared after our encounter. And another day of eavesdropping wouldn't hurt," Star added, finally talking himself into it.

Julio smiled as Star nodded decisively, pleased with their decision. He'd learn long ago that Star didn't want him to solve his mystery feelings but instead wanted support and patience as he worked his way through them. It'd taken some trial and error, but Julio thought he was pretty much a pro at it by now. 

Satisfied with their plan of attack, Star turned his entire focus on Julio. He stood there patiently as Star shaved Julio's face, brow furrowed deeply in concentration. He returned the favour, pointedly ignoring the slow creep of Star's hand over his belly. When Star's fingers finally curled around his cock, Julio lasted about three seconds before his facade cracked. Smiling, Julio looped his arms around Star's neck.

"Hey," Julio said.

"Hello," Star replied with his own wide smile, and leaned in to kiss him.

They made out for a while under the water, Star's hand slowly working his cock, Star's dick pressed hot and hard to his thigh. Eventually, Julio turned around, elbows braced on the tiles, and wiggled his ass enticingly. "Gotta make it quick," he said, as Star pressed himself flat against Julio's back while he searched blindly through their shared toiletry bag, eventually finding a condom and a bottle of lube. 

Star pressed two slick fingers against him, sliding easily inside. "I did not wear you out yesterday?"

Julio grinned. "Fuck no," he said, rocking his hips in time with Star's hand, closing his eyes with a contented sigh. His fingers, as usual, felt incredible. "I'm good. I'd tell you if I wasn't. I'm basically a master at taking your cock at this point anyway. Why? Do you think we're having too much sex?"

"Not as long as we are both enjoying it, physically and emotionally," Star murmured, pressing his mouth to the back of Julio's neck, kissing him. "I do not see why we would ever want to stop. I have a healing factor, and you have a naturally high sex drive. Because you were repressed for so long."

Julio tipped his head forward, snorting softly. "That was a joke, dude. That I made years ago."

Star pulled his fingers out of Julio's body, slick hands slipping around Julio's hips and tilting them slightly. Star's body pressed full length against him, hard and perfect. "Yes, I remember. We were eating pizza. You had sauce on your chin. You smelled like apples, and there was a small hole in your sock."

"You're so weird."

"You like it," Star told him. 

Julio grinned again. No point lying. "Fucking right I do. Are you gonna keep teasing me or what?"

Star hummed happily, warm and rumbling in Julio's ear, and then he slid into Julio's body with enough force to lift Julio onto his toes. They fucked quick and dirty, Star's teeth scraping over the back of his neck as his slick hand worked on Julio's cock, thumb dragging over the head of his dick. Julio came hard with a shout, spurting all over the tiles, and Star followed with a low groan, thrusting against him. 

After, they both scrubbed down with the cruise-provided citrus-scented body wash. Julio haphazardly tied his hair back in a loose half-ponytail while Star dressed. Then they switched places, Star dragging a palmful of product through his hair, tousling it messily, as Julio looked for something clean to wear. 

"I told you that you should have unpacked," Star said, coming back into the main room. 

"Never," Julio vowed, tugging on a pair of shorts. "Holiday Julio lives out of his suitcase." 

"Holiday Julio sounds suspiciously like Regular Julio, who never puts away the laundry."

"Hey, you're the one who married him," Julio replied with a grin, grabbing their day bag and holding it open so Star could dump all his shit in. Julio accepted a kiss as his payment. "Ready?"

"Ready," Star agreed and took Julio's hand the minute they were in the hallway, beaming at him.

Like the day before, they staked out an area on the beach and spread out. Star put his sunscreen on without a fight, then rubbed it over Julio while Julio checked his phone for messages. Just one, from Kitty. She confirmed Cerebra hadn't found anything overnight or in the early morning, but it would continuing scanning every hour for the rest of the day. Satisfied, Julio put his phone back in the bag.

He lounged in the sun for a while, arm laid over his eyes. "Anything?" he asked after a while.

"No," Star replied, lying on his belly and facing the opposite direction, propped up on his elbows. Julio wasn't sure if he'd picked that position because it gave him the best vantage point or because he wanted to show off how amazing his ass looked in his suit. Either way, Julio supported the decision. "One group likely saw something, but based on their conversation, it occurred before our encounter. Two couples, friends for... thirty years."

"Wow," Julio said, impressed. "Can you imagine?"

"Yes," Star replied simply. 

Julio pulled his arm away, looking up. "Do you mean us?"

"Who else?" Star replied, glaring back at him over his shoulder. "Why do you ask things like that?"

Julio covered his eyes again, sighing deeply. "I don't know. Because I can barely imagine things a week from now? Because you know more about the future than I do? Because I say stupid shit sometimes?"

"My knowledge of the future ended with my birth," Star told him. "Layla offered to tell me more, to decode the images I picked up during my travels through space and time, but I declined. I'm not interested in knowing what my future holds with you. I'm confident enough with what I see before me."

"We were a mess back then."

"It didn't matter. I was confident in the depth of our friendship and the strength of our love. I knew we would get through it together."

Julio mulled that over for a while. He hadn't been confident – not at all, not even close – but they'd basically put it all on the table while they were in Mojoworld, after dropping baby Star off in the right time. Julio barely remembered that period between all the time travel and anchoring Star had required and how fucked up, emotionally and mentally, he had been after, dealing with shit nobody should have to face.

If either of them were going to call it quits, it would have been then. They'd stayed in Mojoworld for longer than most people realized, sorting out all their crap. They had yelled and fucked and yelled some more, and when that got tiring, they switched to crying, fucking and honest conversation. For better or for worse, they had survived it and come out stronger, the walls between them forever torn down. 

Star still didn't know everything – like Julio knew he didn't know everything about Star – but they'd at least agreed to put the work into themselves that their relationship required. Julio had finally gone to therapy. So had Star. 

"I'm sorry," Julio said, lifting his head again. "You know I'm in this with you one hundred percent, right?"

"I know," Star replied. "It's just... I would like you to think about our future, Julio, if you can. If your brain will let you. I understand that's not always under your control, but this is very important to me. If Nathan's death taught me anything, it's that life is a gift, and it's one I want to share with you. _Please_."

"I get it," Julio assured him, putting a hand on the back of Star's thigh and squeezing him. "I'll try."

Star nodded without looking in his direction. "Thank you." 

Julio kept his hand on Star's leg, lightly stroking him, rubbing him, giving him the sort of physical contact he liked. His ass really did look amazing in his suit, the fabric bunched up between his cheeks, barely covering much to begin with. Star glanced back, visibly amused, when Julio hooked his fingers into the line of elastic around his leg, tugging until the swimsuit stopped riding up so much. 

"What are you doing?" 

"Thinking of your future comfort," Julio promised. 

Star hummed as if he didn't quite believe him, which, in Julio's opinion, was the right approach. He concentrated on fixing Star's suit, moving the elastic around, occasionally slipping his fingers under the hem, against his smooth, warm skin. The suit was white with blue stripes running across it, dipping into a vee that disappeared into the line of his ass. Julio knew the front was basically the same, except it had a drawstring tied in a bow and the vee just highlighted the already prominent fullness of his cock.

For the first time, Julio had actually contemplated his own speedo, but he'd settled on a pair of pink trunks, cut high on the thigh and low on the waist, with a light blue drawstring tied in his own matching bow. He appreciated the extra coverage now, his legs bent at the knees, toes burrowed into the sand.

"I was going to suggest lunch," Star said faintly, ankles crossed, feet in the air. Julio forced himself to look anywhere but at the broad, sculpted expanse of Star's back. "But it seems you had other ideas."

"You have no idea how incredible your ass looks in that suit." 

Star flexed one cheek and then the other, undoing all of Julio's hard work, the fabric riding up again.

"Seriously, you need to stop that," Julio said, eyes drawn by the movement, chuckling low, under his breath. He barely had time to react before Star had straddled his hips, looming over him and grinning. Hands braced on Julio's chest, Star leaned down, and Julio met him with a kiss. "This isn't helping."

"It's not supposed to," Star assured him, pressing kisses all over Julio's face and neck as he laughed.

Eventually, they pulled apart, breathing hard, grinning at each other. Julio dressed quickly, not looking in Star's direction as he packed up all their junk. They ate tamales for lunch, bought from an incredibly friendly street vendor who gave them each an extra one when he found out they were newly married.

Julio tried to politely turn him down – because it wasn't _real_ – but the man wasn't having it. 

"You have to stop telling people that if it guilts them into giving us free shit," Julio told Star as they sat on a bench in the shade, splitting a bowl of pozole and working through their piles of tamales. Julio had ordered his spicy, and the vendor had delivered. Cracking open his water bottle, he took another drink.

"That wasn't guilt," Star told him, carefully unwrapping a tamale. "He was happy for us."

"Star," Julio said flatly, "you know what I mean."

Star shrugged, glancing away. Julio was worried he was a little mad, but he took the water when Julio held it out, drinking deeply. "I tipped him more than I should have," Star admitted, looking back at him.

Of course he did. Julio sighed. "Okay, sorry. I'm honestly not trying to pick fights today."

"It's fine," Star told him. "I do understand that we are not actually married, Julio. I am not delusional."

Julio nodded and returned to eating. 

Star did the same, taking the bowl of soup when Julio offered it then handing it back after he ate a bit. 

After a few tense minutes, Julio realized that Star actually _was_ mad, even if he was doing the best job Julio had ever seen from him at hiding his anger. It felt like there was a conversation they needed to have, but he still wasn't entirely sure which of his words had gotten under Star's skin so bad. 

While he was going over their conversation in his head, picking it apart, Star stood up abruptly.

"Okay, wait," Julio protested, reaching after him, almost spilling the rest of the soup. 

"I smell churros," Star told him, taking his hand and kissing his knuckles gallantly. "I will return." 

Julio stared after him, split between bafflement and irritation. He shook his head. Okay, whatever. Star had clearly sorted his feelings out, reached a satisfying conclusion, and gone on with his day, no worse for the wear. Sometimes, Julio wished his own brain worked even half as efficiently as Star's did. 

Julio wallowed in the span it took for Star to return with the churros, because that little niggling of guilt for being too pessimistic was exactly the type of thing his head liked to latch onto and blow up into epic proportions. It was clear Star loved being undercover, and here he was, trying to bring him down. 

As always. 

"Julio," Star said, sitting down next to him and passing over the still-hot churros, "everything is okay."

Julio frowned, but he took a churro, because he loved them. He had no doubt that was the reason Star had gone to get them. "I know it is," he said. 

Star slung an arm over his shoulders, pulling him in for a kiss on the temple. "I also bought us t-shirts."

With a churro half hanging out of his mouth, Julio looked up at Star, who bit the other end of it. It was so unexpected and ridiculous that Julio ended up choking on an inhale of sugar. He struggled to get control as Star unhelpfully patted his back, holding the water bottle to his lips, urging him to drink.

"You have to warn me," Julio gasped, once he could speak again.

"The shirts say Just Married. In a swirling, rainbow script. They are white," Star told him, serious. 

"I mean, if you're going to go all Lady and the Tramp on my churro," Julio clarified, wiping the sugar off his lips with the pads of his fingers, not at all surprised when Star happily leaned in to finish the job. 

They finished eating, laughing, leaning into each other. Julio let Star pull off his shirt and replace it with the new one, even if the shirt was gaudier than described. He had never imagined himself wearing something like this in public, but Star was just so into it. _Story of my life with him_ , Julio thought.

They walked around for a while, listening to the crowd. Julio received another email from Kitty. Still nothing on the scans. He tried not to let himself get frustrated, but it was hard. Avoiding telepaths had basically been his life's mission as a teenager. He knew what he saw, what he felt. Star had felt it, too.

"Bad news?" Star asked.

Julio shook his head. "No news. Cerebra still isn't picking up anything out of the ordinary. Has Marco and I pegged as mutants, you as whatever the hell you are" – Star smirked slightly, shrugging in a way that was somehow unique to Mojoworld, because Longshot did it, too – "and two others, which would be great, except both of them are known entities to the X-Men and neither of them are telepaths."

"It's not much," Star conceded, "but it is better than nothing. We've ruled out five people."

Julio rolled his eyes, but Star had a point. Julio filed the information away, on the off chance they needed it later. _See_ , Julio thought ruefully, _you can be optimistic about some things, good job_. He wasn't exactly satisfied with what they had learned, but he recognized a dead end when he saw one.

"You want to head back?" Julio asked.

"Not yet," Star replied. "I would like to continue walking with you."

"Okay."

Julio let Star guide them, their fingers laced together. The t-shirts attracted attention in the forms of shouts of congratulations and more than one enthusiastic, drunken high-five. As they roamed around, Julio was keenly aware of his ring, pressed between Star's fingers, and Star's, which Star kept bringing to his mouth, rubbing it lightly over his lips. Eventually, Star steered them in the direction of the beach. 

Once they hit sand, he kicked off his shoes and tucked them into the bag. Star did the same. 

Still holding hands, they navigated their way through the swarm of people. As the crowd thinned out, the quality of the beach diminished. Eventually, they ended up alone, crunchy seaweed and various bits of ocean debris under their feet. Julio stopped to slide his sandals back on; Star willingly remained barefoot.

Instead of a large swath of smooth sand, this part of the beach was mostly rock. Crabs skittered over the stone, startled by their appearance, and Julio gave them a wide berth. He and Star had spent many nights camping out underneath the sky when they couldn't afford anything better or it was too hot to spend the time cramped up in the bed of their truck. It had been safer to find refuge near the rocks. 

It had given them the illusion of security, of privacy. It had made certain things a lot easier for Julio. 

"This is very similar to the beach where we had sex for the first time together," Star commented. 

"I was just thinking that," Julio said, smiling up at him. "Fuck, I'd never been so scared in my life. Realizing what I was gonna do. I mean, it was so fucking obvious at that point that you basically had zero gender preferences, even if you hadn't come out yet, but I had no idea if you were into me."

"You were the last person to know about my feelings for you," Star replied. "Even Roberto knew."

"Oh, I knew you loved me," Julio assured him with a warm, teasing grin, though it wasn't quite the truth. He'd known Star felt something intense for him, just not what, especially because Star hadn't been able to explain what it was either. "But that's a little different from wanting to get naked with me."

Star smiled, colour high on his cheeks. "Thankfully," he said, "this time, it was the same."

"Thankfully," Julio agreed, letting Star take the bag when he reached for it. Standing back, Julio watched as Star laid down a towel then shrugged out of his clothes, leaving only his tiny bathing suit. It stretched obscenely over his cock. "I remember I went for a swim. It was so fucking hot that night."

Star reclined on the towel, propped up on his elbows. "I watched you." Star's hot gaze raked over his body, and a pink tongue slipped out to wet his lips. "You took off all your clothes. That was new."

Julio bit his lip. "I wanted you to see me," he admitted, tugging off his shirt, pushing down his shorts.

"You were so beautiful," Star told him then added with a warm smile, "you still are." Julio shivered, all the hairs on his body raising despite the heat. His pink swim trunks hid nothing, pulled taut by his erection. "You had given me so much already. Your friendship. Your trust. Those parts of you that you had never shared with anybody, you shared with me. But it wasn't enough, Julio."

Julio swallowed hard, stripped bare under Star's unrelenting gaze. 

"I wanted your desire," Star said softly. "I wanted your love. I wanted all of you."

"I gave it to you," Julio assured him. "After that night, it was all yours. It's always been yours, Star."

"You came to me, even though I knew you were terrified." Julio crossed the distance between them, kneeling between Star's spread legs. Star's hands came to rest on his face. "You kissed me," he said, and Julio did what he had done then, touching their lips together, tentative, a bit shy. Giving Star time before deepening it, mouths wet and open, tongues slick. "You kept kissing me, and then your hand..."

"And then my hand," Julio agreed, sliding his fingers into Star's swimsuit, circling his cock. "And you made the most amazing sound. You still make it, every time I touch you. And all that bullshit, all my self loathing and my fear and my nerves, it all just left. It was just you and me, on that beach, together."

"When you pressed me into the sand" – Star guided Julio over him, Julio's hand slipping out his suit, and pulled him down so their cocks were together, separated by two layers of spandex – "and moved against me, like this, still kissing me, even though it lasted for mere minutes, it was... life changing, Julio."

"For me too," Julio murmured, kissing Star, moving against him in a now familiar motion, but back then, it had been more instinct than anything else. Julio was also keenly aware that they were much more public now, even if they still mostly looked like two guys getting a little too amorous on vacation.

"We're alone," Star told him, whispering the words into his ear. "No one can see us. I made sure."

Julio bit his lip. "Okay, but we gotta be quick. I don't like public sex as much as you do."

"I am very close," Star assured him. "And I can tell by your scent that you are as well."

Julio groaned, closed his eyes and just went for it. Star's fingers raked up and down his back as they kissed again, mouths slotted tightly together. Their cocks dragged against each other through their swimsuits. Closer and closer, they pushed towards orgasm. Star's hand slid down the back of his trunks, his ring finger pressing intimately against him. Startled, Julio broke their kiss, keening as he came. 

"Fekt," Star swore, shuddering with his own orgasm, hand moving up Julio's back. 

They lay there for a while together, catching their breath, before Julio rolled off him. Star protested weakly as Julio pulled him up and down the beach, into the water. Julio scrubbed as much come off his suit as he could, splashing Star when he just stood there, watching the scene with a satisfied expression.

"You're a bad influence," Julio told him, sending another seismic wave of water at him.

"Then I suppose we are even," Star replied with a dreamy look. "You should have let me lick it off."

Julio snorted. "You definitely didn't do that, that night on the beach."

"I was too overcome with all the new emotions," Star agreed easily, rubbing a hand over his own belly, haphazardly cleaning himself off. 

"I'm sorry I wasn't as good about that as I should have been." Julio remembered how bright Star's eyes had been as tears rolled down his cheeks. "You needed more than a few awkward pats on the back."

"You were kind about it," Star assured him, running his fingers through Julio's hair and bending forward to kiss him on the corner of the mouth. "I could tell you were deeply uncomfortable, but you didn't laugh at me. And I've always appreciated your brand of physical comfort. It is extremely straightforward."

Julio groaned. "What a stunning endorsement. Thanks."

"You're welcome," Star said and kissed him again.

In their small part of the beach, Julio napped while Star exercised. It wasn't a deep sleep, vague and dreamy, and he enjoyed that whenever he opened his eyes, Star had contorted himself into a new position. It felt like Mexico had back then, him trying to get some shut eye as Star learned to keep himself entertained without television or any stimulus beyond what Julio could offer on his own.

It had been a period of growth for them both. Julio remembered feeling helpless as every one of his layers were peeled away, revealing the core truth of him, which he'd been terrified Star wouldn't like. But it had turned out to be a needless worry. Star had been afraid that Julio wouldn't like him either.

Looking back, Julio was amazed they had managed to navigate the situation even half as well as they did. They were kids, opening up to someone else for the first time, with a lot of similarly ugly wounds. They still had those wounds, but they were scars now, for the most part, healed over, but not forgotten. 

A part of them, but not all of them. 

Arms twisted above his head, Star stretched tall and headed down to the water to take another swim. By the time he was done, Julio had forced himself out of his sleepy daze, sitting up, watching as Star returned, dripping wet. Julio handed him a towel, and Star smiled.

"Thank you," he said, drying himself efficiently. "What were you thinking about?"

"The last time we were here. Feels like a lifetime ago."

"Do you feel better about it? Is being here helping?" Star asked curiously, pulling his shorts up his legs. Bending over, he picked up his shirt and shook the sand out of it before shrugging it on. Julio didn't say anything, and Star crouched down in front of him. "You never speak about it. _We_ never speak. It ended poorly, but I don't think it should be forgotten. We fell in love in Mexico. We were good together."

"Until we weren't," Julio said, frowning at Star's knees. "We keep breaking up."

"No," Star said softly, putting a hand on his face, "we take breaks when we think we might hurt each other, and we have finally agreed that isn't the solution we want. That last time barely counted." Star said it so easily, so dismissively, that Julio almost believed it. Julio finally met Star's gaze; his eyes were kind. "We're not easy people. We have to forgive ourselves for that. We just have to do our best."

"You're amazing," Julio told him after a long moment. "What did I do to deserve you in my life?"

"I assume you do not actually want the list of decisions that led me to you? Because I could tell you."

Julio barked a laugh. "Not today, but thanks for the offer. And being here is helping," he admitted.

Nodding, Star stood up then offered Julio a hand, pulling him to his feet. Julio dressed as Star packed up. "You should take a photo," Star told him, handing Julio his phone. "Send it to my parents, Rahne and Tabitha. With the ocean in the background," he added, "and make sure they can see the t-shirts." 

"Any other requests?"

"No, that's all," Star told him, sliding his arm around Julio's waist, leaning into him, smiling.

Julio snapped a couple pictures. With Star looking over his shoulder, he sent the best one off. Tucking his phone back into the bag, he held out his hand to Star, who immediately took it. They started to walk back towards the ship. "Would you mind if we just grabbed street food and brought it back for dinner?"

"I would like that," Star told him.

They revisited the man who sold them lunch, grabbing more tamales, and picked up a variety of other things that Julio hoped would sate his craving. They also grabbed four slices of tres leches cake, packed into a box and sealed with a sticker of a red heart. Star kept the box protectively tucked under his arm.

Back in their room, still wearing their matching t-shirts, they ate out on the balcony, listening to the rolling sounds of the waves coming in. Julio thought about finally opening the champagne, but it still felt wrong, like the timing wasn't right yet. Instead, they drank water and pigged out on deliciously messy tacos and tamales hot enough to melt a person's face off. Star even choked one down, red-faced and sweating, while Julio laughed at him, like any proper fake husband would do.

"It's good," Star gasped. 

"I'm impressed you even tried," Julio told him, patting his hand. Star glared at him with watery eyes.

After they finished the food, they held hands for a while, alternating between idle chatter and comfortable silence, taking as much time together as they could get before they actually had to do some work. Eventually, Star got up and brought out the box of cakes, slicing through the heart with his thumbnail. He picked up a slice then sat down on Julio's lap, knees against Julio's hips. 

"Do not smash that in my face," Julio warned, laughing, trying to sound serious.

"Just a little bit?" Star asked, not even bothering to deny anything. Julio had always appreciated how obvious he was about everything he did. He'd ruined more than one of Tabby's carefully planned surprise parties. "I would lick you clean," Star promised, "and I would let you do it back to me. I think it would be fun."

"Fine, but don't get it up my nose," Julio said, closing his eyes. A second later, he had cake pressed against his face, icing smeared on his mouth and his cheeks. When he opened his eyes, crumbs clung to his eyelashes like snowflakes, and Star looked all together too pleased with himself, leaning down to kiss him. Pulling back, admiring his handiwork, he reached over and grabbed a piece of cake for Julio.

"Only if you want," Star told him magnanimously. 

"Oh, I want," Julio assured him. 

Julio took the fresh slice of cake from Star and waited a moment before squishing it against Star's wide smile, rubbing cake all over him. When he was done, Star opened his eyes, his tongue snaking out between his lips and licking everything he could reach. "The sensation is not unpleasant," he decided.

"It's a waste of perfectly good cake," Julio told him, wiping a finger over his own cheek and bringing his finger to his mouth, sucking the cake off it as Star watched him with a delighted expression. He leaned over and licked the same cheek, coming away with even more icing on his smiling mouth.

"We still have two pieces left. We will eat those ones like normal people."

Julio snorted, dragging his tongue over Star's jaw. "Since when are we normal?"

"Good point," Star said, kissing him again. 

They made out for a while, until it just became too uncomfortable, especially with the heat. They moved to the bathroom, wetting a couple washcloths and scrubbing the worst of the sugar off. Able to see clearly for the first time in a while, Julio glanced at the time. They really needed to get going soon.

Star dragged him over to the bed. "We have time for oral sex. I am determined to lick you clean."

"Your stomach is going to hate you," Julio warned him. 

"Perhaps," Star conceded, tucking his fingers into the waistbands of Julio's shorts and suit, tugging them down in one quick motion to his ankles. "I apologize in advance for any gastrointestinal distress that might result, but I will not be denied a third time." He looked at Julio until Julio sighed softly and nodded, closing his eyes. 

They kept their shirts on. Julio didn't ask why.

After, they changed into new clothes – mostly because they didn't want to draw any unwanted attention, partially because Star's shirt had a massive come stain on it and Julio ignored Star when he protested it would be easy to clean – and grabbed anything they thought they might need for the night.

Star pressed a walkie-talkie into his hand, one of his ghost hunting purchases. "If you require backup." 

"Got it," Julio said, clipping it onto the waistband of his shorts. 

They split up after that, with the plan to do their best to make contact with the ghost – who clearly wasn't a ghost, but the name had stuck by now, and Julio couldn't make his brain call him anything else – and get as much as useful information as they could in the quickest amount of time. Julio took the decks on the bottom half of the list, and Star took the top. Star had kissed him deeply before they left.

"Hey," Julio said as he roamed around, quiet, trying not to look as crazy as he felt, "we just want to talk to you. Get this figured out." He tried to keep his voice friendly, easy, but he just wasn't a friendly or easy guy. When talking to the walls didn't get any results, he switched to stealth mode, trying to find people to eavesdrop on or watch from a distance, but the ship was pretty empty, except for a few crew.

Julio radioed Star. "Any luck, babe?"

After a moment of silence, Star replied. "You should say 'over', so I know you are done, Julio. Over."

"So that's a no," Julio replied before adding, just a beat too late, knowing it would annoy him, "over."

"Very funny, Julio. Stop distracting me. I love you. Over."

"Love you, too. Over," Julio said with a smile, clipping the walkie-talkie back on his shorts. 

Julio tried to radiate calm and kindness and concern, but he doubted anything was getting in or out. Years of hiding all his secrets from Cable had made it second nature, and he hadn't been eager to ever learn how to open his mind. He tried speaking again, but it got him nothing except a few puzzled looks.

Julio spent hours roaming the hallways, alternating between feeling like a fool and a failure. Since the library was on his list, he spent some time in there, reading the first chapter of a book he grabbed off the shelf, which was about the gay history of sailors and turned out to be interesting as fuck. He thought about borrowing it, if that was even possible, but it wasn't like he had time to read a book anyway. Sleeping, fucking, eating and searching for this impossible to find ghost left little space for anything else. With a sigh, he put the book back but wrote down the title anyway, just in case. 

When his phone finally buzzed to tell him time was up, he took one last stroll around the deck he was on then headed back to the room. Swiping the key card, he entered into darkness, immediately kicking off his shoes. Flipping on the light, he dropped the rest of his shit on the table then went for a piss. 

Yawning, he glanced at himself in the mirror, eyes drawn to the ring on his finger. He looked like a different man. 

Like a married one. 

He smiled.


	6. The Fifth Day

Ten minutes later, Star still hadn't returned to the room.

Lying on the bed, Julio brought the walkie-talkie to his mouth. "Where are you, Star? Over." 

Silence answered back, loud and terrifying. Julio sat up. 

"Shatterstar?" 

Julio ignored his first instinct – which was to shake the ship down to its parts until Star came tumbling out – and tried to force himself to stay calm, to ignore the growing dread in his belly. It could be anything. There were a thousand perfectly logical reasons why Star couldn't answer. But Julio's brain had always been his worst enemy, and his first thought – his only thought – was that something bad had happened to Star. Because he loved him too much. Because Julio didn't deserve happiness.

Because. 

" _Corazón_?" he tried again, mouth pressed to the microphone. "You gotta talk to me, Star."

Nothing from the walkie-talkie, but the door to the room rattled slightly, as if someone had put their body weight against it. Almost tripping in his haste to get there, he opened it, and Star fell into him, one arm wrapped tightly around his waist. There was blood everywhere – Star's torso, his hands, the door. Forcing himself to stay calm, Julio dragged him inside and carefully guided him over to the bed. He stripped all the covers off the mattress with one, hard tug before gently laying him down on top of it. 

"What the hell happened?" Julio cried, reaching for whatever Star was protecting, but Star flinched. 

"Clean the door first," Star replied, breathing laboured, speaking broken Cadre. "Quickly."

"Fuck the door," Julio snapped, but Star pushed him away with his foot. Julio wanted to fight about it, because the alternative was to freak the fuck out, but he ran into the bathroom and wet a towel. With his leg propping the door open, he wiped it down before doing the same to the jamb and the wall.

He tossed the bloody towel into the bathtub then grabbed every clean linen available, pausing briefly to scrub his hands with soap and hot water. In the main room, Star laid deathly still on the bed, pale, with his eyes open. They followed him as Julio dumped everything on the bed before moving towards the couch.

"Not the swans," Star said faintly. "I like them."

"Fuck the swans." Star looked at him imploringly, and Julio immediately relented. "Okay, fine."

Julio returned to the bed, flipping on both lamps and all the overhead lights as he went. He tried to gauge how badly Star was injured without moving his arm. It didn't take long to see the extent of the damage. Julio swallowed hard at the bile that rose up in his throat, turning away for a moment.

Once he felt more settled, he took the towels and stuffed them securely around Star, to catch the blood. He stripped all the clothes off Star, pulling his underwear and shorts down, ripping the tank clean from his body. It'd been years, but this was all just muscle memory. Julio gagged, once, but shook it off. 

"I don't have the strength to continue holding everything in place," Star warned him, eyes glassy and half-lidded, "so if you need to vomit, I would prefer you do it now. It is likely this will take hours."

"I'm not gonna puke." Julio wiped the sweat off his face with his shoulder. "Should I get a doctor?"

"No," Star said sharply. "No doctor. We will be fine. We have been through this before."

Julio took a deep breath and exhaled. "Same thing as Torreón then?"

"Yes, unfortunately. I will tell you later, precisely what happened, but it was my error, Julio. Do you understand? The ghost is innocent here. Do not let any harm come to him." Star closed his eyes briefly as Julio slid his hands under Star's forearm, staring at the wall, fighting not to gag again. "Promise me."

"I promise," Julio said, telling the truth. He had bigger things to worry about. With his fingers, he rearranged everything until it at least resembled normal. Using the heels of his hands, he pushed the edges of Star's skin together. He got up on his knees, using his weight to apply pressure. "That good?"

"Good," Star agreed faintly. "I must meditate, Julio. This pain is... difficult to manage. I'm sorry."

"Do you what you need to do," Julio assured him. "I've got you. Okay? I'll be fine."

"I know," Star replied, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't answer you. You sounded scared."

"It's okay," Julio told him, rubbing his face on his shoulder again. "Don't worry about shit like that."

Star made a small sound of acquiescence, and then he was wherever he went when he meditated. Julio bent his head forward, damp hair curling around his face, sweating profusely. There was no escape for him, but his head was mercifully silent. He'd been in this position before. They'd both come through it fine. He had Star – in one piece, save for the hole in his belly – and that was ultimately all he needed.

As long as he had Star beside him, Julio believed he could do anything.

Julio sat there for hours, until his fingers cramped and his back twisted in agony. He could tell the exact moment Star slipped from deep meditation into healing sleep. Another hour beyond that, Julio finally took his hands away, carefully revealing the thin, translucent skin on Star's belly. It still needed many more hours of healing, but Julio was no longer worried Star's guts would end up in a pile on the floor.

He stood up on stiff, wobbly legs and wandered into the bathroom. He took off all his clothes and stepped into a steaming shower, grateful he could see Star clearly with the door open. He allowed himself to shake for a bit, hand pressed to his face, but he didn't let himself dwell any longer than a few minutes. After scrubbing all the blood off his arms with a bar of lime-scented soap, he turned off the water. He pulled on a clean pair of shorts and his Just Married t-shirt. It still smelled like cake and sex. 

Quickly losing steam, he removed all the towels from the bed, apologizing softly when Star grumbled at him in his sleep. It looked like he'd saved the mattress, but the towels were beyond help. He tossed the rest of them into the bathtub then – with little warning – managed to get his head over the edge before he finally puked. After rinsing his mouth with water, he messaged Marco asking for new linen. 

He made himself a cup of coffee and ate a mushy, brown banana that he regretted immediately. 

With a washcloth, he wiped Star clean as gently as he could, dabbing carefully at his new skin. 

The room smelled like blood, so he opened the balcony door, the salty ocean air rushing in. He couldn't even remember leaving port, but last night had been a blur. Somehow, he'd gotten used to the fuzziness of being on a ship in the ocean, which was good. At least he had finally made peace with sea travel.

At his soft knock, Julio opened the door and welcomed Marco in. Too late, he remembered Star lying naked on the bed, with a very strange patch of skin covering a significant portion of his belly. Marco only glanced at him briefly before bringing all the clean linens into the bathroom. Julio helped him shove the soiled towels into a laundry bag, a little guilty he had added to an already gross situation.

"Is he okay?" Marco asked, finally, tying the bag closed. 

"Yeah," Julio replied. "Sorry. We have a pretty good idea of what's going on. According to Star, it's not to blame for this," Julio added, because he could only imagine the conclusions Marco was coming to. 

"And you agree?" 

"I gotta trust my partner," Julio said with an easy shrug. In the end, it was as simple as that. 

Marco nodded, lifting the laundry bag over his shoulder. "You know," he said as he moved towards the door, "I used to cry myself to sleep as a teenager, because I'd never be an X-Man, not with my power set, but I think I'm doing enough to help right where I am. How's the cruise been for you so far?"

"Amazing," Julio replied, with more raw emotion than he expected. He was tempted to blame the exhaustion or the fact his nerves were shot to shit, but the truth was, even with the ghost stuff, he'd been having a blast. He had so many new and incredible memories with Star. "Really awesome."

"Good, I'm glad," Marco said, smiling. "However this turns out, you'll always have a place here."

Julio nodded, saying goodbye and closing the door behind him. With that, the last of his energy left him. Julio stumbled to the pile of blankets on the floor, eyeing those stupid swans one last time. He curled up in the comforter and nestled in a pile of the scattered pillows. He was fast asleep in seconds.

"Julio?"

Julio opened his eyes when he heard his name, pushing up on one arm to peer over the side of the bed at Star, who stared back at him. He looked much better, the colour returned to his face. The skin on his stomach still looked fragile, like it could split apart at any moment, but at least it was holding. 

"You need something?" Julio asked. 

"Why are you sleeping on the floor?"

"I didn't want to jostle anything," he told him, pushing to a stand, wearing one of the blankets like a cape. He still felt tired – a glance at the clock confirmed he'd only gotten about four hours of sleep – and his back was killing him. "Can I get you some water? Something to eat? Do you need to pee?"

Star thought on it for a bit. "All of those things," he said faintly, like the decision took a lot out of him. 

Julio nodded. He went through Star's suitcase, locating the protein bars he always carried for emergencies, and cut one and an apple into bite-sized pieces. Tucking two bottles under his arm – one full of water, the other empty – he walked over and crouched down beside Star. He set the food and the bottle of water on the bedside time and opened the empty one. "This is our best option," he told him.

"This is not how I envisioned our honeymoon," Star replied, trying to joke, and Julio grinned.

"Still ends with my hand on your cock, which I know you love," Julio said, kissing his arm as he got everything lined up. It wasn't entirely dignified, but Julio really didn't want to move him yet and have to start over. Star, thankfully, had never been shy about bodily functions. "How bad is the pain?"

Star's eyes closed for a moment. He shook his head. "It is nothing like it was."

"Tell me if you need anything for it," Julio said, standing up once Star was done and disposing of everything in the toilet. He washed his hands before returning to Star. "Ready to try some food?"

Star nodded. He was too weak to feed himself, but Julio didn't mind. They'd been through hell and back together. It was his turn to take care of Star, and he was gladly stepping up to the plate. Star chewed carefully and slowly, grinding each piece to mush before swallowing. Occasionally, Julio held the water bottle to his lips and made him drink as much as he could. Half an hour later, Star was fed. 

Star looked like he had run a marathon, breathing hard, covered in sweat. "I need more sleep," he said.

"No shit," Julio replied. "Do you want a blanket? I don't think it'll stick to anything anymore."

Star shook his head. He glanced down, range of vision severely limited. "How does it look?"

"You know that Thai place across the street that I love so much? With the rice paper wraps?"

"Yes."

"I won't be eating there for a while," Julio told him with a small smile. Star laughed despite himself then winced with pain. Sweat beading on his brow, Star glared at him. Julio swept his forehead with the edge of his t-shirt, gathering as much moisture as could. "Sorry, I'll try not to be funny as long as your belly looks like a summer roll. That was just a little revenge. You scared the shit out of me, _corazón_."

"It was a misunderstanding," Star murmured, eyelids heavy. "I will explain later."

"I'll be here," Julio assured him, kissing his forehead. "The less funny version of me anyway."

Star snorted softly, face momentarily creasing with pain, and then he was asleep. Julio wiped his face again before heading back to his nest on the floor. It took a little longer this time, but eventually, he fell asleep. His dreams were frantic and broken and wild, but every time he wearily lifted his head, just to make sure, Star was still there, sleeping deeply, in the exact same position, just as Julio had left him.

When Julio woke for the second time, Star was still out. He felt marginally less like shit. He peeled himself off the ground and had a good stretch before wandering outside on the balcony. Leaning on the rail with his forearms, he looked out across the bright blue ocean. It really was breathtakingly beautiful.

The ship was in port for its last stop on shore. It would have been nice, but the last two days had gone a long way in healing some of the hurts from his past related to Mexico. Just thinking about that almost made him cry. He loved his home. He loved being Mexican. Loved the food, the music, the culture, and, most of all, the people. It was a tough pill to swallow, but if his family never wanted to speak to him again, it was their loss. He had his own family now – made out of necessity – and it was enough. 

Almost, anyway. 

Julio headed back into the room and discovered Star was awake again, picking at his healing torso.

"Stop poking at it," Julio told him, sitting on the bed. He pulled Star's hand away from his skin.

Star scowled. "It's so itchy."

"I wonder why," Julio replied. "You must be feeling better if you've moved onto the annoyed stage."

"I'm mostly annoyed at myself," Star admitted, exhaling sharply. Julio took his hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing it. "I believe we are dealing with a very young, very powerful telepath who can physically manifest his psychic self if he feels threatened or, as was the case with me, frightened."

"What happened?"

"I sometimes forget what my mind and memories must look like to other people. You have never made me feel like less of a man for being... as I am." Star's lips thinned into a straight line, expression severe. It was an old look, a haunted one, that Julio recognized immediately. "In an attempt to open myself to him, to put him at ease, all I did was show him a nightmare that I eagerly and happily participated in." 

"Shit," Julio said. 

"Shit," Star echoed. 

Julio brushed his hand over Star's face, gently stroking his cheek, and Star's eyes closed, his head tilted into Julio's touch, as he took a deep breath then exhaled it, slow, controlled. "You haven't been that man for a very a long time," Julio murmured, keeping his voice soft. "You've worked so hard not to be him."

"I know," Star said, eyes blinking open, as blue as the sky, as Julio skimmed his knuckles along Star's jaw. Star's expression lightened, the lines of his face easing, and he sighed deeply. "I didn't mean to frighten him. In his defence, I believe he realized his error quickly, but I had already been eviscerated."

"He can't be on board this ship," Julio said. "We've scanned it a bunch of times. Everyone is accounted for. Someone would have noticed a guy that young sneaking on board. That's the part I don't get."

"He could be stuck in this particular place," Star replied. "Perhaps his body is elsewhere?"

"That has to be terrifying. I remember having no control over my powers. It's awful, feeling that helpless, knowing how scared people are of you for something you can't control. No wonder he's miserable."

"I know," Star said, "which is why you must find him tonight. It is better that I don't go with you, not that I am in any shape to. Tell him that I don't blame him. That I am fine. If he does not believe you, bring him here. I can only assume he sticks to public places for a reason. You must make him come."

"I mean, I'll try, but I can't promise anything. In the meantime, I'll ask Kitty to check if there are any comatose teenagers hanging around, who might also be mutants," Julio said, getting up and opening his laptop. He loaded his email and typed out a quick message, hitting send. He left out anything about Star's disembowelling. He'd include that in the final report and that was it. "Okay, done. Now we wait."

"You should eat dinner. Without me. I need more sleep, and I can hear your stomach from here." 

"I'm fine," Julio told him. He knew what Star was trying to do, but he didn't need a break. 

"Julio, please. Eat something with too many calories and dessert. Bring me back a chicken breast."

Star looked at him, the unsaid _if you love me you will do this for me even though I know it makes you uncomfortable for reasons you don't want to admit_ clearly written on his face. Maybe he had been using Star as a security blanket, but Star was the one who had insisted they pretend to be married. 

"Okay, fine," Julio said when Star wouldn't stop looking in his direction. "I'll go be gay without you."

"Just pretend you're back in Paris," Star suggested helpfully. Julio glared at him.

Dressed in a tank top and a pair of jean shorts, Julio headed out to grab dinner. The thought of eating alone among couples and friends having a wonderful vacation had kicked his anxiety into high gear. He pinned all his hopes on the idea that maybe everyone had eaten dinner on land, but it looked pretty busy. He weighed his options. On one hand, he was starving. On the other, he could just lie to Star.

"Ah, it's the newlywed," a voice behind him said. Julio turned around to see the older guys he and Star had met their first day on the ship, the ones who hadn't given a shit about the ghost. "Where's your handsome beau?" 

"Feeling a bit under the weather," Julio said, trying to keep his voice light. "I'm flying solo tonight."

"Then you'll have to join us. We insist," his partner said, taking Julio's elbow with his hand. 

Julio smiled, hoping his relief wasn't obvious. "Thanks," he said gratefully.

As they looked over the menus, they chatted, exchanging formal introductions. Julio told them his name – his fake name, almost tripping up by saying _Richter_ instead of Fernandez – and found out their names were Cyril Adams and Alain Hébert. They had two dogs, Lily and Daisy, and lived in Canada. 

"Married for thirteen years, together for fifty-five," Cyril said. "We met in the Navy." 

"A very secret affair," Alain added with a smile, putting his hand over Cyril's on the table. 

"That's honestly amazing." Julio ignored the ache in his chest, running a thumb over his ring. When they looked at him kindly, he realized they wanted his story, too. "Together, on and off, for over six years. Married for a week. We wasted a lot of time trying to figure ourselves out and how we fit together."

"It's never a waste, my dear," Cyril told him kindly, and Julio inexplicably felt like crying. 

Julio ordered too much food – and two chicken breasts, to go, for Star – and ate it all, including dessert. He had two glasses a wine but switched to water after. For the most part, he didn't say too much. He just listened as Cyril and Alain reminisced and filled in each other's blanks, sharing secret smiles over jokes Julio didn't always get. _Can I picture it?_ Julio wondered, thinking about him and Star like this.

It was so hard. Julio lived in the moment, because for a long time, that was all he could handle. When he'd lost his powers, he'd made a deal with himself that the only thing he had to do each day was wake up. Even if he didn't leave his bed, at least he'd opened his eyes and made the choice to keep on living. 

But he felt better now. His mental health was the best it had been since he was seven years old, thanks to a combination of therapy, a drive to actually follow through on the suggestions, and Star's unfaltering love and support. Not perfect – not even close – but Julio could at least look beyond the despair now.

So why wouldn't he let himself imagine what he and Star might be a year from now? 

Ten years? Twenty-five? _Fifty-five?_

It was a lot to think about. 

After the meal, they parted ways. "Julio, my dear, it has been a pleasure getting to know you," Cyril told him. Awkward, Julio nodded, just going with it when Cyril kissed him casually on both cheeks and Alain repeated the action. "All the best to you and Alistair. Perhaps, next year, we can double-date."

"Consider it done," Julio agreed, his face doing something he hoped was socially acceptable. 

"Tell your handsome beau we hope he feels better soon," Alain added as Cyril took his elbow.

They waved as Julio took off, a takeout container with two chicken breasts tucked under his arm. 

When he got back to the room, Star was still lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. He glanced over as Julio closed the door and toed off his sandals. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he quickly examined Star's wound. It looked much better, like a scab had just fallen off, the skin pink and healthy.

"Your body never ceases to amaze me," Julio told him, helping him sit up. Star looked longingly at the balcony, but the sun was still up. Julio didn't want to risk exposing the new skin to UV rays, even if Star would eventually fix that, too. His healing factor had been pushed enough. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes, I am famished," Star replied, taking the takeout clamshell out of Julio's hand and popping it open. He picked up one of the chicken breasts and stuffed it straight into his mouth, taking an enthusiastic bite. He sighed happily. "Thank you, Julio. Did you have a good dinner? Did you actually go to dinner? 

"Yes, I actually went," Julio replied, hating, sometimes, how well Star knew him. "I had dinner with those guys we met on our first day here. The older guys. They've been together for fifty-five years."

Star swallowed his mouthful of chicken. "And could you imagine it?"

"Yeah," Julio replied, absurdly happy when Star smiled at him, the skin around his eyes crinkling.

With another hour to kill before sunset, Julio laid down on the bed beside Star, his feet kicked up on the headboard as he went through the schematics of the ship on the tablet. While Julio scrolled through the maps, Star's hand stroked over his belly and under his shirt, occasionally interjecting with a comment.

"Do I need to change?" Julio asked, going over the area Star was convinced the ghost was most likely to show up in. As details of last night came out, it became more and more clear that Star had done everything wrong with the very best of intentions. He'd stalked the poor kid like prey. Someday, they'd probably laugh about it, but right now, Julio just wanted it over and done with before anything else happened. "What's the theme tonight?" 

"Drag," Star said with a disappointed sigh, one finger dipping into Julio's bellybutton. Annoyed, Julio batted him away without looking. "I bought you a very cute dress that would show off your legs. If you like, you can still wear it, but I don't think you should risk wearing the heels. You are terrible in them."

"Not all of us have superhuman agility," Julio replied, ignoring Star's judgmental look. 

"I also wanted us to do it together," Star added. 

"That's fine. We can save it for later. I don't need a sprained ankle on top of everything else." Julio put his hand over Star's, their rings touching, and Star smiled down at him. "Hey, do you want to do this again someday? Like, not the mission. Going on vacation together. Like this, or whatever you want."

"I would love to vacation with you," Star told him. "I've enjoyed myself more than I expected."

"Were you nervous?" Julio asked, a little surprised. He hadn't actually thought to ask. 

"Not at all," Star assured him. "I was simply worried I might be bored."

"Without a mission you might be," Julio warned him, placing the tablet down on the bed.

"I doubt it. If anything, it is interfering with my enjoyment. I would rather be spending my time with you uninterrupted. Not just the sex, though that has been incredible, and I wish I was fucking you right now," Star added. "But simply being with you, one-on-one, as a couple. Exploring, and talking, and eating. Laughing with you. Making you laugh. Swimming. I've greatly enjoyed the swimming, Julio."

"You've greatly enjoyed the swimsuits," Julio corrected him, smiling. "But fuck, so have I."

"If you go missing for nine days again, the memories of you in your bathing suits are all I will masturbate to."

Julio laughed, glad Star felt like he could joke about that now. He hadn't been in the best head-space when Julio had finally called him without realizing how much time had elapsed. He'd mostly called because he'd had the time as he waited for the emergency response to sort the situation out. "Great."

"You should masturbate for me now," Star remarked casually, popping the button on Julio's shorts. 

Julio snorted softly, trying not to smile. "And why is that?"

"Because," Star replied, helpfully dragging down Julio's zipper. "It would make me feel better, and I shouldn't overexert myself for carnal pleasures. Even if I want to. It would be very irresponsible."

Julio looked over at the clock, but his hands were already on the waist of his jean shorts, pushing them down his hips. Star's eyes fixed on his hand, making no secret of his interest, and Julio palmed himself through his briefs, letting his cock fill the space. Biting his lip, Star's gaze turned dreamy as Julio finally pulled his dick out. Julio found himself flushing, even though he'd done this for Star before.

"This good?" Julio asked, voice whisper soft, stroking himself.

"You're beautiful," Star replied, with obvious warmth and affection. "You're just so beautiful, Julio."

Julio smiled, keeping his gaze locked on Star's face. He came quickly. He couldn't help himself.

Before he left, he let Star kiss him for as long as he needed to in order to feel secure that Julio would came back to him in the same condition he left. Neither of them knew for sure – they never did, it was all such a fucking crapshoot – but it was Julio's turn to be the hero, and he couldn't leave this kid hanging. He grabbed one of the walkie-talkies and turned down Star's offer to borrow his swords.

"I love you," Star said from the bed.

"And I love you. Now relax. I've got this," he promised, lighter than he felt, and closed the door behind him.

He followed Star's directions to where he had encountered the ghost the night before. It was an out of the way area, low traffic, with a bunch of offices nobody used at night. Julio found a large smear of blood on the wall. It was weird to think that he hoped it was Star's, but it had been that kind of day. 

"Hey," Julio said, slowly walking down the hall. "I just want to talk to you. No harm, no foul. My boyfriend – my husband – no, shit, sorry, I'm not going to lie to you. _My boyfriend_ isn't mad about what happened, and he's totally fine. I promise. He's got a healing factor. Sort of like a budget Wolverine." 

Nothing, except the sound of Julio's sandals as he walked. He stopped. 

"Listen, we're X-Men. Sort of. Back up X-Men, if, like, the entire team dies, or goes missing in space or Australia or whatever. But I'm a mutant. A gay mutant," Julio clarified, in case it mattered, and he got the sense it did. "We were hired to help you, if you need the help, and my gut's telling me you do."

Julio slid down the wall, bringing his knees up. He tilted back his head. 

"Just so you know," Julio told the silence, idly playing with his wedding ring, rolling it around his finger, "I'm going to keep this up for as long as it takes. Hours. _Days_. In English. En español. En français. And I gotta tell you: my French is shit. I was only in Paris for a few months. I can also speak my boyfriend's language. He's half-alien. It took me a year to learn it, and my accent is still terrible."

Julio yawned, the exhaustion creeping up on him. 

"My name is Rictor. Or Julio. Whatever you want to call me. I answer to both. I make earthquakes. I can feel the earth talking to me, which probably makes me seem a little crazy, but it's better than it sounds. I swear too much. I'm not a nice person. I'm basically good at two things, computers and sarcasm. I watch a shit tonne of terrible TV, but that's because Shatterstar – the boyfriend I keep mentioning, the one I've been pretending to be married to for this entire trip, don't fucking ask why – DVRs everything."

Julio closed his eyes, thinking of what else he could offer up to make the ghost trust him.

"Stop me if you don't want to hear my entire tragic history, because I'm running out of things to say. My therapist tells me I shouldn't keep all this shit to myself, so it's your lucky day that I'm finally listening to him," Julio said then exhaled. "Seriously, it'll ruin my night if I have to talk about this crap."

"He isn't dead?" a voice asked, in Spanish, and Julio's eyes snapped open. The ghost sat beside him, misery etched on his face. He looked even younger up close, probably fifteen or sixteen at most. 

"Nah," Julio assured him. "As far as eviscerations go, this isn't even the worst one he's had."

"I can't tell what you're thinking," the ghost said, frowning at him. "How do I know you're not lying?"

"You're welcome to come back to our room, confirm what I'm saying, chill for a bit. But first, you have to tell me who you are, where you came from and why you're on this ship. I know you're not old enough to be on a cruise with an open bar," Julio said, trying to keep his tone light and friendly, two things he was terrible at. "Are you stuck here? Do you need help getting off of here?"

The ghost's expression crumpled, and Julio would have thought he was crying, except he had no corporeal form and therefore no tear ducts. "I just want to go home," he said, rubbing his face, looking absolutely miserable. "I didn't even know I was a mutant. I just thought I had crazy dreams sometimes."

"Well, congrats, I guess. Welcome to the club. How old are you?"

"Sixteen," the ghost said, sniffling. "I'm from San José, Costa Rica. My name is Rafael Díaz. I have no idea how I got here, and I can't get off this ship. This has been a really shitty experience. No offence."

"None taken," Julio assured him. "What's the last thing you remember?" 

Rafael pulled his knees to his chin, wrapping his arms around his shins. If Julio hadn't been pretty sure his hand would go right through him, he might have tried an awkward pat on the back. As it was, he just let the kid talk. It'd probably been weeks since he'd spoken to anyone. "I was on vacation with my family in Mexico. This ship was there, and there were a lot of...." He pressed his lips tightly together.

"Rainbows," Julio suggested with a small smile.

Rafael nodded. "I dreamt about it, that night. Or, I guess, I don't dream. I do whatever this is."

"Some form of astral projection," Julio said, like it was a perfectly normal thing, "probably."

"Oh," Rafael said, looking disappointed. "That doesn't sound very cool."

"You might change your mind about that later," Julio replied with a small smile, and let the conversation lapse into a comfortable silence. Rafael stayed beside him, motionless, working through all the new information, and Julio waited for him to be ready. He needed this kid to trust him. 

"Are you really an X-Man?" Rafael asked suddenly, peering at him curiously. "I don't recognize you."

"No one does," Julio assured him, standing up and brushing the crap from the floor off his ass. Rafael rose with him, floating an inch off the floor. Julio had no idea how they were going to get back to the room without being seen, but whatever. "You good to go? We should have you home in a few hours."

"Yeah, okay," Rafael agreed and followed him down the hall, glowing an ethereal shade of aquamarine.


	7. The Sixth Day

Praying that Star had put on pants, Julio opened the door to the room and was relieved to find him sitting out on the balcony, in shorts, staring into the dark. At the sound of the door closing, he finally looked over his shoulder, and his relief was a startling, palpable thing that took Julio's breath away. 

"Ta-da," Julio said. "Our ghost."

"Hey," Rafael said, hovering behind him. "I'm so sorry. I didn't even know I could do that."

Star stood up slowly, carefully. Julio resisted the urge to rush to him. "It's understandable," Star assured him, walking back into the room with a slight sway to his step. He squeezed himself between the armrest of the couch and the swans. With a sigh, Julio went to check if his phone still had service.

"Julio says you're an alien."

"Only half," Star confirmed. "On my father's side."

His cell phone didn't have service, but there was, inexplicably, a phone in the bathroom. Julio left Star to entertain their guest while he located the email with Kitty's phone number in it. It was two in the morning there, but this felt like an emergency. This kid had been trapped here for far too long already. 

"Hello?" Kitty said, voice rough with sleep.

"Hey, it's Rictor. Do you have a pen? We need to send a telepath to Costa Rica ASAP."

Julio gave Kitty all the information he had, including a quick assessment of the kid's state of mind. Rafael seemed surprisingly okay, considering what he had been through. Kitty asked a few questions, assuring him she would inform Marco of their success. She also told them to finish out the cruise as guests, which he hadn't wanted to ask, just in case the answer was suddenly no for some reason. 

Before heading back out, Julio splashed his face with cold water.

Physically, he felt heavy and worn down, like he could sleep for days, but his brain was frantically cycling through the mission, convinced it had missed something important, even though he was sure it hadn't. It would be a fucking miracle the day his head and his body agreed on what they were feeling. 

_Just a few more hours to go_ , he told himself, _then you can put this whole fucking day behind you_.

Those hours passed quickly. Julio sat down on the armrest of the couch, Star's arm immediately looping around his hips. Briefly, Star pressed his face to Julio's side, taking a deep breath, and Julio put his hand on the back of his head. Rafael tried not to stare, but he wasn't very good at being subtle. Julio didn't know for sure – Rafael hadn't said anything, and Julio sure as hell wasn't going to ask – but he thought this was important for the kid to see. Julio hadn't grown up knowing anyone else who was gay.

Sometimes, he thought it might have made a difference, if someone had just shown him it was okay.

In an attempt to direct his brain to a less exhausting topic, he shifted his focus to the questions he felt he could ask, mainly pertaining to Rafael's odd ghostly behaviour. It would bug him forever if he didn't.

"What happened to you during the daytime?" Julio asked.

"I don't know," Rafael said with a shrug. "I start to feel really tired, and then there's... _nothing_ , but I always wake up exactly where I was last. I don't think I'm going home. I don't remember anything."

"And the haunting of only public spaces?"

"It's not polite to spy," Rafael mumbled, his cheeks shifting to a darker shade of blue. "I still saw stuff, sometimes, but, like, I... I tried not to? I didn't realize people could actually see me for a long time. I really didn't mean to scare anyone." Rafael looked down. "And I didn't want to get in trouble either."

"You won't get in trouble," Julio assured him, hoping that was actually true. He wanted it to be. 

They talked for a long time – Rafael had a bunch of questions about the X-Men, and that was one of Star's favourite subjects – until Rafael paused and tilted his head. "There's a woman with purple hair speaking to me," he said, eyes looking at something they couldn't see. "She says her name is Psylocke."

"One of ours. Welcome to the X-Men," Julio said with a smile. "Hopefully we'll see you around."

"Okay, awesome. See you later, thanks and bye," and then Rafael was gone, as if he'd never been there at all. Julio exhaled sharply, not realizing how tense, how worried he'd been about this kid he barely knew. Physically, he felt completely wrung out, like he'd run the gamut and had nothing left to give. 

"You were good with him," Star said softly, sliding a hand under Julio's shirt, touching his back.

"It felt important."

"It was," Star assured him. "Are you tired?"

"Exhausted, but I don't think I could sleep right now if I tried. My brain is racing after all that."

Star stared at him for a while, searching for something, and Julio raised an eyebrow. Just when he was about to question him, Star asked, "do you want to watch the sunrise together? It would be romantic."

"Sure," Julio replied with a smile. He stood up and stretched. "After you," he said, holding the door.

Star kissed him on the way out, fingers trailing over Julio's jaw. Julio took that same hand and held it to his mouth. It'd been a long twenty-four hours, and he didn't know how either of them were still standing. In the hallway, he smiled at Star and Star smiled back, before they finally headed up on deck.

They weren't the only ones out this early, but it was easy to find a semi-secluded spot to stand. Leaning on the safety rail, holding hands, Julio inhaled sharply. The air was crisp and clean, and he wasn't eager to get back to the smells of New York City, even if he liked just about everything else about it.

Mostly, he liked that he lived there with Star and that they had a great life together. 

"We did it," Julio said. "With only one disembowelling, too. I think we're getting better at this."

Star snorted softly, leaning into him, and Julio put his head on Star's shoulder. He didn't seem very talkative this morning, which was fine. Julio – whose brain was still going a mile a minute – could pick up the slack for a while. Julio turned his face into Star's body, kissing him on the round of his shoulder. 

"Still two more days, though. We can have a lot of fun with that. No more day trips, but maybe you can talk me into a speedo," Julio suggested, squeezing his hand. Star smiled faintly, but it was a muted reaction, so Julio tried again. "You wanna talk about anything? Is your wound feeling okay?" 

"It's fine," Star replied. "I'm just thinking about something. I need another minute or two."

"Yeah, no problem," Julio said easily. "I wasn't kidding about the speedo, though."

Star smiled again, a bit brighter. "I know you weren't. I hear everything you say. I will do my best."

Julio nodded, grinning. He looked out across the water, where the sky was just beginning to change colour. The breeze coming off the ocean was still cool, heavy with salt, and he inhaled again. It was like every weight he'd ever carried had been lifted off him, just for this morning. He felt wonderful. 

"Julio," Star said, letting go of his hand, and Julio looked over at him, away from the rising sun. 

Star went down on one knee, and Julio's heart stopped. 

"What are you doing?" he asked, barely above a whisper, blinking rapidly. 

Star smiled, his joy luminous on his face. "What does it look like?"

"Shit," Julio said as Star took his hand again – his left one – and held it between both of his. 

"Julio Esteban Richter," Star said, his accent suddenly thicker than Julio had heard it in years. "I have loved you from the moment I knew what that word meant. You have made me a better man. Every day, I find some way to love you even more. It hasn't been perfect" – they smiled wetly at each other – "but it's been loving, and it's been kind, and it's been the most incredible experience of my entire life."

Julio stared at him, lips pressed together, breathing hard. 

"Will you marry me, Julio?" Star asked, eyes bright, the slice of his smile blinding on his face. 

"Of course I will," Julio said, pulling Star to his feet, throwing his arms around his neck. Star immediately hugged him back, burying his smile in Julio's hair. "Of course I will," he said again, laughing in Star's ear, trying to be careful, knowing he was probably still hurting, but his desire for physical contact was almost overwhelming. Julio pulled back, beaming, then kissed him deeply. 

Putting his hands on Julio's face, grinning just as bright, Star kissed him back. 

They kissed and laughed and kissed again, half swaying, half dancing. Julio felt drunk, and Star didn't look much better. He moved them away from the rail, just in case they both toppled over it in their happy delirium. Eventually, they calmed down a little. Star pushed Julio's hair back with his hands.

"When?" Star asked, eyes shining.

"Now?" Julio blurted out, without thinking, voice embarrassingly shaky. He forced himself to try to think this through, even if every cell in body wanted _now_. "Except I think we need a marriage licence."

"Now," Star agreed, touching their foreheads together. "If you want now, I want now. I am a teleporter, Julio. We can go anywhere we want. The Manhattan Marriage Bureau is open. It's after nine there."

Julio tried to calm his racing heart, laughing breathlessly. "This is crazy. You're still healing." 

"It will be difficult – _exhausting_ – but with you as my anchor, I can do anything. I want now, Julio."

Grinning so wide that his face hurt, Julio nodded. "Then let's do now." 

They kissed and kissed, again and again, all the way back to their room, their matching smiles as bright as the rising sun. Star kept touching his fingers to Julio's face, and Julio couldn't stop laughing. He didn't want to. They were getting married, for real, and it was just so... Julio didn't have the words. 

But it was reflected on Star's face. 

And it was beautiful.

The whole thing was a frantic, dizzying blur. Like everything with Star, Julio just held on for the ride.

Before leaving the ship, they got ready. They wore matching short-sleeved, button-up white linen shirts. Julio went for a pair of olive green shorts while Star settled on a pair of beige ones in the same style and fabric. Julio pulled on his gold bangles as Star fastened his beaded bracelet. Star finally turned off the image-inducer and, miraculously, they both remembered to comb their hair and shave. 

Neither of them remembered to brush their teeth, but they bought a tube of toothpaste from a nearby convenience store and scrubbed their mouths with their fingers in the bathroom of the clerk's office.

"We don't have rings," Julio said as their number came closer to being called, fiddling with all of their official documents – the actual ones – which Julio had, for some reason, had the foresight to bring on the mission. He liked to be prepared. Even in his wildest dreams, he hadn't imagine using them for this. 

"The rings are real," Star told him with a small, excited hitch in his voice. "They're real, Julio. I had them made for us, years ago, from the remnants of one of my old swords." Gently, Star slid the ring off Julio's finger and showed him the inside. It was inscribed with a simple: _Te amo, Julio. Always. ♥ ✶_.

"I left yours blank," Star said. "You can add whatever you want."

"Years ago?" Julio asked, once he could speak again. 

"Years ago," Star confirmed and kissed him. 

They were married – after obtaining a judicial waiver, which took longer than either of them wanted, but it meant Star had enough time to re-charge and take a quick nap – at the West Chapel of the Clerk’s Office, a little before eleven, by an officiant named Susan. The ceremony itself lasted ninety seconds.

They didn't exchange personalized vows, opting instead for the default ones. They didn't need to. Julio thought everything had already been said. This entire vacation had been their vow. Their entire life together had been their vow. But they did exchange rings, Julio's hands shaking so much – from excitement more than anything else, his powers reacting to his emotion – that they both laughed. 

With their certificate of marriage in hand, a random stranger happily snapped wedding photos for posterity. If not for the piece of paper hanging from his fingers and the bone-deep knowledge that he'd just married his best friend, he would have thought it was just the most perfect dream he'd ever had. 

After, with both of them beginning to sag with exhaustion, they filed their marriage certificate in order to make everything official. Once that was done, Star teleported them to the hallway directly outside their room.

Star began to speak, his intention clear, but Julio cut him off. "Sorry, _corazón_ , it's my turn." With that, he swept Star into his arms as Star beamed at him. It required a little juggling, but Julio got the door open. He carried Star over the threshold and walked him to the bed, carefully laying him down.

"I can't stay awake any longer," Star mumbled into the pillow as Julio efficiently undressed him. 

"Yeah, don't worry about it. Me neither," Julio assured him, tugging down his underwear. 

Once Star was naked, Julio worked on getting his own clothes off, leaving the gold bangles on. He dropped everything into a messy pile in the middle of the floor. With a yank, he covered the windows with the curtains before finally, blissfully, collapsing into bed. Star rolled over and snuggled up tight. 

"Good night, husband," he murmured.

"Husband," Julio repeated, on the verge of delirium, voice cracking giddily.

Star, already asleep, rumbled warmly in his ear. Julio quickly passed out and joined him.

Julio woke up with the sun in his eyes and Star's smile an inch from his face, his head on Julio's pillow. Star's fingers traced an intimate path over his chest and his belly and the curve of skin along his sides. _Oh, right_ , Julio thought sleepily, enjoying a slow, full-body stretch, _I married him this morning_.

"Hey," Julio said, nosing him, demanding a kiss, and Star gladly obliged.

They made out like they had all the time in the world, shallow brushes of lips mixed with deeper tangles of tongues. Julio tried to touch every inch of Star's skin, skimming his fingers over the rise of each muscle, sweeping his palms up the lengths of his arms. Star's hands, equally as bold, explored his body as if it was something new to discover, as if he hadn't discovered every secret it held already. 

And under the covers, their legs tangled together, feet crossed at the ankles, toes curled. 

"I want to consummate our marriage," Star murmured, lightly dragging his teeth over Julio's jaw.

Julio snorted softly. "We're not in a romance novel."

"So you say," Star replied, kissing him again, putting his hands under Julio's thighs and hiking them up. Julio squirmed against him, knees spread wide, hips loose, and Star moaned in his ear. "Do you want it like this?" he asked, thrusting between Julio's legs, cock hot and hard. "Or would you rather fuck me?" 

Julio groaned. "I don't care as long as you say fuck again. That's so much hotter than consummate."

"Fuck," Star said, slicking his tongue into Julio's mouth and kissing him until he was breathless. Julio moaned in protest as Star suddenly pulled away, reaching for the lube, but took the opportunity to press a series of wet, open kisses to Star's belly. With a gasp, he buried his fingers in Julio's hair. " _Fuck_."

"You're my husband," Julio told him, dragging a tongue over his abs. Star gasped again, grip on Julio's head tightening. Curving his fingers around Star's hips to hold him still, he tasted the salt on his skin, Star's cock bobbing against his throat. Shifting slightly, Julio traced his tongue around the tip of it.

"Julio," Star said roughly. 

Julio looked up at him, grinning, and slowly did it again. 

Star groaned, pushing his cock away from Julio's teasing mouth. He bent down for another kiss, hands spread on Julio's face, and Julio happily gave him one. Feeling Star squirt a blob of lube onto his palm, Julio blindly slicked the length of Star's cock before reaching between his own legs with his fingers. 

Star continued to fuck his tongue into Julio's mouth as Julio stretched himself open. 

"This way," he said when he was ready, palms curving around Star's ass. Star nodded, lifting Julio's legs and tilting his hips upwards. Julio smiled at him when Star began to push inside with exquisite deliberation, inch by beautiful inch. It was the most amazing feeling in the world, to be filled by him. 

They took their time with each other. Star kept his gaze locked with Julio's, eyes bright and warm, as he fucked into him, each stroke slow and calculated. Under him, Julio twisted with building pleasure, his cock hard and leaking on his belly, ignored because if he touched it, that would be it, and he wanted to feel like this forever. Fully loved, fully worshipped, Star's knowledge of his body total and complete.

They were married. 

The thought struck him powerfully, and he reached for Star, curling into him, kissing him. It shouldn't have made a difference, because nothing had really changed, except they had a piece of paper now. They'd long ago combined finances. They'd planned for retirement. They'd been living together for years, and he thought of Star's parents as his in-laws. So nothing had changed, except everything had. 

"Holy shit," Julio said, kissing him again. "We're married."

"We're married," Star agreed, fucking into him, hips flush against Julio's ass. Julio gasped, breathless. "You're my husband, Julio," Star added, a raw, possessive tone to his voice. Julio felt his body respond physically to it, surprising him with the intensity of the feeling. "We'll have a beautiful life together."

"We already do," Julio murmured, moving his hands from Star's ass to his back, clutching at him, and Star smiled widely, the snap of his hips increasing in speed. Julio held on tightly, helpless to do anything else. After that, it was just pure sensation. The beat of Star's heart frantic against him, Star's hand between their bodies, gripping Julio's cock, fist pumping over him in time with his thrusts. Julio buried his face against Star's throat, crying out as he came, Star still fucking into him, riding him hard.

Julio could tell Star was fighting his own orgasm, like he sometimes did, and worked to encourage him. "Come for me, _corazón_ ," he said, whispering directly into Star's ear, ass tightening around him. Julio raked his fingers down Star's back, tracing his spine. "You feel so good right now. Yeah, just like that." 

Star pressed his face to Julio's hair, gasping wetly, and came with one last, powerful thrust, buried deep. Julio hugged him tightly, stroking over all the skin his fingers could reach, wetness spreading on his neck. Smiling, Julio squeezed him even tighter, letting Star know that he was there, that he had him. 

"I love you," Julio told him, soft in his ear, and Star pressed even closer against him, fingers digging into Julio's back. Gently, Julio smiled again, careful of his feelings. Anchoring him, as always.

They fucked again, hot and dirty, Star bent over the table. Julio had been on the way to the bathroom to take a shower, but then he saw the glint of Star's ring catching the late afternoon sun. One thing led to another, and Julio was cock deep inside him and kissing bruises over Star's shoulders as he moaned.

Star was fully healed now, growling at Julio when he tried to be careful, so Julio was determined to fuck him until Star's legs gave out. He wasn't having much luck, but it was pretty fucking fun to try. 

Julio came first, mouth open wide against Star's shoulder. He pulled out and dropped to his knees. He turned Star around and sucked him, one hand curled around the base of his cock, the other with two fingers buried in his ass, rubbing his prostate. It was messy and quick, the complete opposite of before. 

And it was exactly what they both needed right then. It was perfect.

"Okay," Julio said, after, kissing his way up Star's heaving belly. Once he was fully standing, he smiled against Star's mouth. Star twisted a hand in his hair, licking lightly at Julio's lips. "We need to shower and eat something. Can we both promise to try to stop fucking each other for however long that takes?" 

"I will try," Star promised. "But you are incredibly attractive when you shower."

They kissed and laughed under the stream, soapy hands sliding over each other under the pretense of being helpful instead of sensual. Julio's lust warred with his hunger, because weren't wedding nights supposed to be spent in bed? But his noisy, aching stomach finally won out. He kissed Star one last time, slick and hot with plenty of tongue, before finally stepping out of the shower and into a towel. 

"Room service?" Julio asked, knotting it around his waist. 

"Yes, I am content to stay in," Star told him, kissing his shoulder. "It is, after all, our wedding night."

It seemed like a waste of effort to get fully dressed, so Julio tugged on a pair of board shorts and went outside to sit on the balcony. Quickly, he decided on the prime rib with mashed potatoes and asparagus as the sides. Dessert took a bit longer, but he eventually picked the crème brûlée. He handed the menu to Star when he finally wandered out, his black gym shorts hanging dangerously low on his hips. 

"I will try to be quick," Star promised, plopping down into a chair. 

"Take your time," Julio told him, tipping his head back, smiling up at the sky. 

"If I knew marriage made you so agreeable, I would have proposed sooner," Star replied.

Julio snorted but didn't say anything else, just continued looking up, eyes fixed on the clouds. He was exhausted, physically, mentally, emotionally. He'd sailed to some incredible heights today. Now, he could sense the crash coming, but it felt manageable, within his control. He wasn't made for wild pendulum swings of emotion any more. In the last forty-eight hours, he'd found himself at both ends.

They were married. Holy shit. He felt giddy when he thought about it, like he almost had to laugh. 

"I will just get the same as you," Star announced suddenly, closing the menu. 

Amused, Julio lolled his head to look at him. "You don't even know what I'm ordering." 

"I trust you," Star said, with utmost seriousness, and Julio finally laughed. 

As he stood, he pressed a kiss to Star's vaguely annoyed mouth. He went inside and called room service, ordering double of everything, a bottle of their fanciest red wine and a bucket of ice. The time had come to finally drink the champagne that had been taunting him for days. He grabbed the bottle and the two champagne flutes, bringing them outside and placing them on the round table. 

Star put his hands on Julio's hips and guided him down to his lap, offering his chest to rest on. Leaning back, Julio sighed as Star draped an arm across his waist and snuffled softly into his hair from behind. They sat there for a while, enjoying the sounds of the oceans and the faint beat of the music above. 

"What theme are we missing tonight?" Julio asked, knees bent, feet flat on Star's outstretched legs. 

Star kissed his neck, softly, right below his ear. "Pirates. I was going to smudge eyeliner on you."

"Next year," Julio murmured, stroking his fingers over the coppery hairs on Star's forearm.

"Next year," Star agreed, his smile pressed against Julio's neck, big and warm.

The food finally arrived. After getting everything set up on the balcony and filling the wines glasses to the brim, they dug in. Julio kept one ankle hooked around Star's foot. They chatted idly between bites, Julio mostly listening as Star talked his way through ideas about what he wanted to do with the building. It would be his home as well, but it was Star's vision, and he was happy just to support him.

"Has Longshot decided if he's going to move in yet?" Julio asked, between sips of his wine. 

Star shook his head. "I don't want to pressure him, but..." Star trailed off, staring down at his plate. He shoved another forkful of prime rib into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully before swallowing. Under the table, Julio supportively rubbed his knee, and Star shrugged. "He will do what he wants, I suppose."

"Give him time," Julio reminded him gently. Star nodded with a sigh, resigned yet accepting. 

After their entrées were done, Julio stacked the empty plates and swapped them out for the bowls of crème brûlée. Curiously, Star poked at it with his spoon, cracking the sugary coating on top. Based on past experience, Julio was pretty sure he wouldn't like the texture, but he suspected the sweetness of the dessert would push it into the realm of acceptably edible.

Julio watched as Star dipped his spoon into the custard and put it in his mouth. "How is it?"

"Strange but not unpleasant," Star decided after a moment of contemplation, and Julio snorted, low, under his breath. Trying it for himself – Julio almost moaned it was so good – he watched as Star ate more of it, licking over his lips with a thoughtful hum. Knowing a surefire way of improving the experience for him, Julio slid over Star's lap, settling on his knees. Amused, Star looked up at him, and Julio bent down, licking over his smiling mouth. "It tastes much better on your lips," Star told him.

"Everything does," Julio replied, kissing him again. Star's hand pressed flat against his lower back. 

He finished dessert sitting in Star's lap, alternating between enjoying the delicious crème brûlée and kissing Star's sweet, irresistible lips. It was like he couldn't get enough of touching him. Maybe he was just trying to get as much as he could of him before they returned to the real world. Star seemed equally desperate for contact, fingers spread on Julio's skin, providing just enough support to be comfortable.

"Champagne time?" Julio asked, hands on Star's bare chest, looking down at him. Star nodded. 

Julio stood up, reaching over to grab the bottle out of the ice with Star pressed flat against his back. Pushing back at him with a laugh only encouraged him. Star's left hand slid down his arm, folding over his fingers, their rings pressed together. Julio hummed appreciatively as Star kissed over his shoulder.

"I can't believe you married me," he said, mouth dotting kisses along Julio's skin.

"Did you think I was going to say no?" Julio asked, removing the foil from around the cork. 

"To be honest, I had no idea. I suspected you were open to the idea, but I didn't know for sure." Julio turned in Star's arms, looking up at him, and Star smiled. He traced a finger over Julio's chest, nail biting lightly into Julio's skin. "Your reluctance to think about the future complicated matters."

Julio looked down. "I'm my own worst fucking enemy sometimes."

Star kissed him on the forehead before placing his palm over the same spot, as if it would hold the kiss there just a little longer. "Do not worry about it, Julio. I am quite familiar with how your brain works. In sickness and in health is something I take very seriously. All that matters now is that we're married."

Julio felt a grin spread on his face again, the painful one that pulled at his cheeks, and Star mirrored the expression, smile wide, eyes crinkled at the corners. They probably should have put more thought into the whole marriage thing, but it felt so right. He'd worry about things later, when he absolutely had to. 

All he really cared about was what he could see in front of him. 

"Okay, let's open this thing," Julio said, reaching for the champagne again. He untwisted the metal cage and grabbed one of the cloth napkins, holding the bottle away from him, towards the ocean. Star stood beside him, one arm around his waist. Julio twisted the cork, and they both jumped when it popped out. 

Star was immediately there with the two glasses, holding them as Julio poured. Julio took one from Star's hands and leaned against the rail. Star stepped up beside him, tipping his glass towards Julio's, the brims clinking together. "To my husband, on our marriage," Julio said as Star smiled at him. 

"To Mister and Mister Richter," Star added, soft, their glasses still touching. Julio pulled back, unable to hide his surprise. _We really should have talked about this shit_ , he thought again, swallowing the lump in his throat. "I would like to take your last name, Julio. If you will allow me to share it with you."

Julio stared at him, lips pressed together. Star took his hand, sweeping his thumb over his fingers, and gave him all the time he needed. It wasn't an easy request, but he understood why Star made it. Names were important to Star. It'd taken him a while to sift through all the ones available to him before he settled on Shatterstar as the best fit. It was on all his identification now, as a single word, no last name. 

"It's a rotten fucking name, Star," Julio said finally, voice embarrassingly raw. "I come from bad stock."

"It wouldn't be their name. It would be ours. For our family, whatever we decide to make of it."

Julio didn't know what that meant. He didn't want to know what that meant. Not yet anyway. Star was still looking at him, eyes bright, expression patient. It was clear he wanted this badly, wanted Julio's name, and something inexplicably wonderful spread in Julio's chest. 

Julio, who had been the sole recipient of Star's intense emotions for years, was somehow always surprised when a new one appeared. 

"You'll have to go through life telling people your name is Shatterstar Richter. That's rough, dude."

Star smiled. "I know. But it would be _my_ name and a name I share with you." 

"I guess," Julio said, ignoring how the champagne was sloshing around in his glass, "if you want it."

"I do." Star clinked their glasses together again. " _Salud_ , Julio. May we be happy together."

Julio nodded, laughing a little when Star twisted his arm around Julio's, causing Julio to spilled half the champagne down his chest. Star, always helpful, dragged his tongue over Julio's skin, cleaning him up between kisses. When he slipped an arm across Julio's back, hauling him closer, Julio went as easy as a breeze across the ocean, tucking up tightly against him. Emotion rolled in him like waves.

They ended the day as they had started it, watching the sun move along the horizon. They'd squeezed into the same chair, Star with his legs swung over Julio's thighs, head cradled in the crook of Julio's neck. Julio felt pleasantly buzzed from all the champagne. Not drunk – that he was saving for tomorrow – but relaxed and happy and married. He felt really fucking married. It was honestly sort of amazing.

"I don't want this to end," Julio said, staring at the red sky. 

"It's been good," Star agreed, folding their left hands together. He rubbed his forehead against Julio's jaw. "Much better than my last wedding day," he added after a perfectly timed pause. Julio snorted, trying not to encourage Star's weird Mojoworld humour, but Star smirked against his neck anyway. "While I don't believe that was ever legally binding, I am glad I asked Nathan to ensure it was annulled." 

"You probably didn't imagine you'd actually need to." 

"No. I simply did not want any ties to Mojoworld. I never envisioned our friendship turning into this."

"That talk we had in the car, when you told me about her..." Julio trailed off. It had been unexpected, to say the least, because before that, he hadn't even thought Star liked him that much. They'd been pushed together by circumstance – two outsiders on a team of misfits – and Julio hadn't realized that Star had been just as lonely as he was. "I don't know. It changed things. Changed my whole life."

Star threaded his fingers through Julio's hair, pushing it behind his ear. "You were my first friend."

Staring out across the ocean, warm blue mixed with vibrant orange, Julio smiled. "Still your best?"

"Always," Star replied, putting his hand on Julio's face, turning his head. "You changed my life, too. I'm a better warrior because of you. A better man. I still believe that it was your kindness and gentleness when I was born that laid the groundwork for the person I would eventually become."

"You were just a baby. You can't possibly have remembered any of that."

"I remembered," Star insisted, tracing a thumb over Julio's cheekbone. "It made a difference, Julio."

"Maybe," Julio conceded, still not entirely convinced, but for all Julio knew, especially considering Star's brain was a fucking marvel, maybe it had actually helped somehow. That was nice to think about, even if he still hated time paradoxes. "We have been through some crazy shit together, dude."

"I doubt it will become any less weird in the future."

Julio smiled. "Knowing us, probably not. Looking forward to it, though. Should be fun."

"Speaking of fun," Star replied, biting lightly at Julio's jaw. A confident hand slid down Julio's chest before slipping under the band of his shorts, hot against his skin. "I would like to take you back to bed. You've been vibrating all day, and it would be my honour to help you work off all that extra energy."

Julio snorted. "Such a gentleman. How can I resist a proposition like that?"

"You can't," Star assured him.

With that, Star stood up and scooped Julio into his arms, laying him over his shoulder while Julio cackled like a hyena. Star dropped him on the bed, fingers immediately going for the zipper on his shorts. Julio helpfully tugged down Star's athletic shorts, which Star kicked off when they fell to his ankles. Julio lay there, looking at him, still laughing, as Star stripped his shorts off with one firm tug. 

"We're fucking married," Julio said as Star moved over him. He looped his arms around Star's neck.

"I love you so much," Star told him, skimming a hand down Julio's side. "My beautiful husband."

"I love you," Julio told him, leaning up to kiss him, once, twice, a third time, almost frantic, feeling desperate and sexy and cherished. Despite the intensity in his voice, his words shaking, they took their time with each other, exploring and teasing and laughing. Trying to ground him, Star held his hands as he came into Star's mouth, head thrown back, crying out, but the contents of the room still rattled.

Once he came back to himself, he worked on bringing Star off with his hands, barely touching him, sensing he was at his limit, hypersensitive and overwhelmed. He came with a breathless gasp, pulsing over Julio's tender fingers. After, Julio kissed Star's tears away, gentle, holding him tightly in his arms.

 _I married him today_ , Julio thought as Star settled against him with a sigh. Eventually, they slept.


	8. The Seventh Day

Julio woke to discover Star was still in bed with him, asleep despite the time. He'd never actually witnessed Star sleeping in, though Star had always claimed it was possible. Julio didn't know what to do, so he laid there and admired him, because it just made sense to enjoy his husband's good looks. 

He'd lost some of the prettiness that had defined his teenage years – Julio used to keep track of the names people came up with for him, good and bad – but he was still ethereally beautiful and perfectly formed. Back when they'd thought he was bio-engineered, it'd made sense. Now, it was just unfair.

"You're staring at me," Star said without opening his eyes, his voice rough with sleep.

"Yeah, sorry, you're hot as fuck," Julio replied easily, sweeping a hand down his bare back. 

Star smiled against him, a hand splayed on Julio's chest, thumb idly flicking at one of his nipples. His cock, already stiff with morning wood, hardened even more, pressing hot against Star's hip. He was going to miss this when they got home. He'd never fucked so much in his life, even though he and Star normally had an amazing sex life. It'd just never been this concentrated. Busy lives usually interfered. 

"Are you hungry?" Julio asked.

"Not yet," Star replied, tipping his head so Julio could kiss him good morning. One of them had terrible morning breath, and it wasn't Star, but he never seemed to mind. With a soft sigh, Star shifted a bit, slotting his knee between Julio's thighs. Lazily, he started moving his mouth over Julio's pectoral. 

Julio closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of Star's lips. "Fuck. How am I even hard?"

"Your body is very impressive," Star told him, laving a nipple with his tongue before sucking at it. Once it was sufficiently firm, Star moved onto the other one, repeating his actions, humming slightly. 

"Speaking of impressive bodies, I need your dick closer to my mouth." Star lifted his head, mouth wet, pupils wide. Julio started to slip down Star's body, heading between his legs, but Star reached down and grabbed one of his ankles. "What the fuck, Star!" Julio yelped, laughing, as Star pulled him around.

"I need _your_ penis closer to my mouth," Star told him, kissing the arch of his foot.

Nosing Star's cock, Julio smiled. "I shouldn't get off on being manhandled by you so much."

"You like it, so I keep doing it," Star told him sagely, hand curling firmly around Julio's dick. Star's tongue joined in on the action, licking across the tip and gathering pre-come in his mouth. Shivering hard, Julio immediately remembered why they so rarely sixty-nined: it was just too fucking distracting.

Trying to ignore Star's mouth, Julio worked on properly worshipping Star's amazing cock. Enjoying the taste and the slide of the head against his tongue. How it slipped past his lips, down his throat. The angle wasn't ideal – instead of lying on his side, Julio preferred a bit of leverage, kneeling between Star's long legs – but he'd sucked cock at worse angles than this one. It also didn't help Star was so big, not that Julio would ever complain about that. 

He'd been intimidated at the beginning, but these days, he took pride in how well he could handle Star's size, how easily he could make Star come and how he knew everything that got Star off, even the secret stuff. Not that anyone other than Star would ever know how good he was, of course, but it was nice to think about. Great for his self-esteem and all that. 

Star seemed to enjoy it, too. 

Suddenly inspired, Julio increased the suction in his mouth.

Star's hips began to undulate under Julio's arm, despite the pressure Julio applied to keep him still, and his mouth pulled off Julio's cock with a wet, satisfying pop. Star groaned loudly, toes curling into the sheets. _Got you_ , Julio thought, smiling around Star's dick, and sucked him deeply, nose pressed to his belly. He pulled back slightly and smoothed a hand over Star's lightly haired thigh, and vibrated.

"Julio," Star hissed, tangling his fingers in Julio's hair, coming hot and thick down Julio's throat. Julio swallowed furiously, taking everything he gave, riding out Star's orgasm. Eventually, Julio pulled off, licking one last time over Star's sensitive cock. "That is deeply unfair," Star added, between breaths.

Julio dragged his thumb over his lower lip. He shrugged. "Some of us were born blessed, I guess."

Star took that as a challenge, as Julio knew he would. He lasted an impressive three minutes.

They took a shower together, kissing and touching, and Julio let Star shave him again, because he was so into it. Star shaved himself as Julio scrubbed his back, tracing his muscles with his fingers. As far as showers went, it was pretty basic. His cock, for once, stayed soft. It was probably worn out.

Stretching, he wandered back into the main room, towards his suitcase, to find something to wear.

"Julio," Star said, and Julio looked over at him. A blue and yellow speedo dangled from his finger. "You said you would, if I talked you into it. You have an amazing body. I strongly believe you should show it off. You have yet to get me a wedding present. I will put it on you," Star added magnanimously.

"You never forget anything I say, do you?"

"No, I don't," Star confirmed with an easy smile, "especially when it is something I want so much."

"You're such an exhibitionist," he told him, stepping into the suit and letting Star slid it up his legs. Star didn't deny the accusation, just smiled, satisfied, and ran his fingers under the waistband. He settled it as low on Julio's hips as it would go without falling right off. Happy with the result, Star patted his cock.

Julio's dick – more resilient than Julio gave it credit for – plumped, just enough to be vaguely obscene. 

"There," Star said, stepping back to admire his work as Julio rolled his eyes.

Julio tugged on a pair of shorts and a loose fitting tank top as Star got dressed in the same style of swimsuit, orange and black to Julio's yellow and blue. As Julio walked by him, he tucked a finger into the waistband and snapped the elastic. Star looked back at him over his shoulder and wiggled his butt.

Julio snorted. "Tell me again why I married you?"

"I'm incredibly good-looking. Talented. Intelligent. "

"Humble," Julio added, grabbing his sunglasses and sliding them over his hair. 

"Well endowed. Flexible. I own my own building."

Julio tossed the sunscreen and a book into his bag. "That's all true," he agreed with a smile. 

"I love you, and you love me." Star slipped his arms over Julio's shoulders, hips tilted seductively. Julio tried to keep his expression serious, but Star's smile was contagious, and he instinctively mirrored it. They kissed, open-mouthed, half sweet, half completely filthy. "I'm so glad you married me, Julio."

"I'm still not sure how much of this was planned," Julio replied, hands curving over Star's hips.

"Almost none of it. After Nathan died..." Star trailed off, his sadness palpable, and Julio squeezed him lightly, letting him know he wasn't alone in his feelings. "I suppose, in those circumstances, you reevaluate your life and what you want from it. I knew I wanted you with me. That I wanted to marry you. I had hoped going undercover as husbands might warm you to the idea, but I never expected this, not so quickly," Star admitted, kissing him again. "Perhaps I inherited some of Longshot's luck."

"That would probably explain a few things."

Star touched his brow to Julio's. "Being real married is much better than being fake married anyway."

"I'm glad you're happy."

"I am," Star assured him with another long kiss. They finally left in search of food.

They did the breakfast buffet. Julio could actually see the moment Star said fuck it and decided to eat only the things he wanted to, loading up on the carb heavy trinity of pancakes, waffles and french toast, with more than one variety of syrup. He also grabbed a truly impressive number of sausages.

Julio was a little more discerning – sticking with a basic breakfast of eggs, bacon, fruit and white toast with strawberry jam – even though they'd barely eaten yesterday, and all the sex had worked up his appetite. He joined Star at their table, drinking his own coffee before stealing Star's. He was still tired, worn out physically and mentally. The mission – their reason for being on the cruise in the first place – felt far away, like it had happened in a different life. He hoped Rafael had found the help he needed.

Julio finished eating first then watched as Star methodically worked at his plates. It was mesmerizing.

"There's salsa dancing at ten," Star said, looking over a piece of paper he'd picked up by the entrance, powdered sugar from the french toast all over his lips. Julio resisted the urge to lick it off, but also didn't offer a napkin, not yet. "Or there is a race at one pm. In stilettos. I would definitely win that."

"I know you would, but that's also definitely cheating," Julio told him, sipping his stolen coffee.

"You could participate? I suppose it is possible you could win," Star said, clearly doubtful. He stuck his fork into the french toast, cutting off a piece before stuffing it into his mouth, chewing contemplatively. 

Julio reached over to pat him on the forearm. "Don't hurt yourself, dude. There's no fucking chance I'm winning that. I like my ankles too much anyway. But I'd do the salsa dancing, if you're up for it."

"I am." Star finally noticed how sticky his lips were, tongue sliding out to taste them. Julio dipped his napkin into a glass of water and handed it to him. "I wondered why you were staring at my mouth."

"I mostly just wanted to lick it off myself," Julio admitted, taking another drink of coffee. 

"You should have," Star said, leaning over and kissing him, fingers lightly touching Julio's throat. His lips were sweet, pure sugar. Julio smiled against his mouth, licking him once before pulling back.

Julio washed some of the sweetness away with more coffee, watching as Star switched his attention to the waffles. "Just as a warning, I plan on drinking the whole fucking rainbow today. The gay pride rainbow, for the record, not the regular rainbow. This has been a really fucking awesome vacation. It deserves to be celebrated properly."

Star poured a plastic container of syrup over his breakfast. "I will join you. We should start with red."

"Sounds good to me," Julio agreed gamely, staring at Star's mouth again, unable to help himself.

After breakfast and a leisurely stroll around the ship, they headed off to the dance lessons. Julio knew how to salsa already, and Star was happy enough to be led through the steps, mirroring Julio's every move and, occasionally, improvising a few of his own. The liquid slide of his hips and the intricate footwork gave Julio a slight hard-on. He hummed as he used his hands to guide Star around the dance floor.

"You're driving me crazy," Julio murmured, in Cadre, twirling Star around with a possessive hand in the small of his back. The grin Star gave him in response was blindingly beautiful, and Star spun away from him, looking back over his shoulder. "Fuck, you're so good at this, babe. You wanna lead?"

"No," Star replied, coming back into his arms, hips swaying. "You are a better dancer than I am."

"It's the Latin blood," Julio assured him, grinning, stepping back and taking Star with him. 

They spun and shimmied and danced around the floor, effortlessly gliding together, hips moving in perfect time. Light as a cloud in his arms, Star gave himself over completely, letting Julio have control over their movements. Their eyes remained locked on each other. Neither of them could stop smiling. It felt impossible to even try, so Julio just didn't bother, even if they both looked like total goofballs.

He was allowed to grin at his husband like a sappy fool if he wanted to.

As the song began to wind down, Julio tightened one hand around Star's waist and placed the other flat between his shoulders. Without warning, he dipped him low and held him as the final notes played out. Star exhaled sharply, laughing, and circled his arms around Julio's neck when he pulled him back up. They kissed, breathing hard, clutching at each other. When they parted, they were both still smiling. 

"You're amazing," Julio told him, squeezing him as the music started again. "Another one?"

"Until they make us stop," Star agreed, taking up his position again, pliant and willing in Julio's arms. 

They danced for the entire hour, but it didn't feel nearly long enough. It never did.

They headed down to the pool and grabbed two chairs, dumping their bag and towels onto them. Julio shrugged off his sweat-soaked shirt and pushed his shorts down. Star watched him with a hooded gaze, his lower lip chewed between his teeth. Smiling, Julio ran his thumbs under the waistband of his suit and settled it dangerously low on his hips. It was obvious he was still aroused from all the dancing.

"You are spectacularly attractive in your bathing suit, Julio," Star told him, expression hot and knowing, his eyes glassy with desire. It wasn't a new thing – Star basically always looked at him like he wanted to fuck him where he was standing, which had made for some interesting team meetings – but there was something deeper in his expression, something hotter, like he wanted even more from Julio. 

"You gonna join me in the pool or are you just going to stand there ogling me all day?"

"I will join you," Star replied, eyes still fixed on Julio's face. Slowly, he removed his shirt and his shorts, his speedo full in the front, obscene and incredible. _We should have gone back to the room_ , Julio thought, dazed, resisting the urge to fall to his knees. They were just too good at working each other up.

Turning away, face hot, he took a few deep breaths. He almost lost it again when Star stepped behind him, curling his hands around Julio's biceps and pressing a soft, damp kiss to the back of his neck. Julio closed his eyes, a shiver running down his spine. He tipped his head back as Star's lips moved up his jaw. 

"You're gonna kill me, dude," Julio murmured.

Star smiled against his temple, kissing him. "That is the intention. It will, however, take a lifetime."

"I'm looking forward to it," Julio admitted, grinning. Star turned him around, hands sliding over Julio's face and tilting it upwards, making him easier to kiss. Star pressed his mouth against Julio's, licking over his lips until he parted them, and Star's tongue slicked inside, thoroughly possessing him.

"We should have gone back to the room," Star said, pulling back, lips glistening irresistibly. 

"Fuck, I know. We're idiots."

Star smiled brightly, kissing him one last time before letting him go. Without an ounce of shame, Star walked straight to the pool and slid into the water. Before following, Julio recited his usual list of boner-killing thoughts. Once ready, he kept one foot in front of the other until he finally slipped into the pool, the water blissfully cool and soothing and wonderful, even if it did little to weaken his erection. 

Star swam up to him. He looped his arms around Julio's neck, looking pleased with himself.

"I shouldn't have married you," Julio told him, smiling. "You're too perverted for me."

"You are primarily responsible for that. No one else has inspired me so greatly."

"Hey, I'm not complaining. I've had a pretty awesome time doing it," Julio admitted, hands sliding around Star's trim waist, under the water. It would have been so easy to wrap his legs around Star's hips, but he resisted the temptation. "We're fucking dynamite in bed together. We deserve a medal."

"We would definitely win that" – Star's mouth barely brushed his – "without any cheating required."

Julio hummed agreeably, tipping his head back and looking up at the clear blue sky. Star laid his head on his shoulder, breath warm and soft against Julio's throat. It was another perfect moment, and he tried to savour it in a way he wasn't particularly good at. He didn't want to go home. He didn't feel ready.

Which was a little hilarious, because that first day, his head had been such a mess, and now... 

It was hard to explain. He just felt different. 

"Julio," Star said softly, threading one hand into his hair, "please don't think about it. Not yet."

"I hate when you do that," Julio told him, blinking at the harsh light of the sun. He didn't know what had betrayed him – his heightened heartbeat, his staccato breathing, some involuntary twitch of his muscles – but Star had learned how to read every cue, no mater how minuscule. "I'll try not to. I don't want to spend our last day moping anyway. We still have a rainbow of drinks to work through."

"I also want to enjoy you in your bathing suit more," Star informed him, nosing his jaw with a smile. He moved his leg under the water, slotting it between Julio's thighs, closing the space between them. "And before lunch, I believe we need to return to the room. Your erection is distracting me."

Julio smiled up at the sky. "Is it?"

"Terribly," Star assured him and pressed a hot kiss to his neck, right below his ear, invitingly.

After he was sufficiently cooled off – he made Star sit on the other side of the pool, trying to ignore the knowing look in his eyes and the open adoration on his face – they grabbed drinks. Red, as Star had suggested, sugary monstrosities that came with paper umbrellas and fruit on plastic swords. They stood by the rail, looking out across the ocean. The sun felt great on his skin, which reminded him.

"We forgot to put on sunscreen," Julio remarked, straw between his lips, looking at Star's pink face.

" _I_ didn't forget," Star assured him. At Julio's look, he sighed and added, "I will apply it after lunch."

Julio patted Star on the ass, hand touching as much fabric as flesh. " _Gracias_."

Star sighed again but leaned into him, moisture from his glass dripping onto Julio's shoulder. With his fingertips, Star rubbed the cool drops into his skin. Julio smiled up at him, tilting his head for a kiss. Star, ever the dutiful boyfriend – _ever the dutiful husband_ , Julio reminded himself – happily gave him one, lips sweet from the drink. They smiled at each other, big and bright, and Julio's chest ached. 

"Holy shit," Julio blurted out, dizzy with the sudden realization, "we're actually on our honeymoon."

"We are," Star agreed warmly, eyes crinkled at the corners. "I was wondering when you would notice."

"I don't care what you say. You planned this whole thing."

"No," Star insisted, shaking his head, taking a sip of his drink, "but it did come together nicely. There are a dozen times in the last couple years that I would have married you if you had only made it clear you wanted it. I've been carrying around those rings the entire time, Julio. This wasn't planned at all."

"Good things don't happen to us," Julio said in a small, quiet voice. Star kissed him on the head.

"They do this time," he said, and Julio tucked his face against Star's shoulder, just in case. "I will be optimistic enough for the both of us, Julio. And we should probably have some sort of party, when we return. It's expected, and I would like to see you in a tailored tuxedo. I will even let you pick it out."

Julio groaned slightly, sliding one arm around Star's waist, the other focused solely on getting alcohol into his mouth. He didn't even want to think about it. "Let's just start small. Dinner with your parents, break the bad news I'm their son now, too." He meant it to be a joke, but it came out flat and bitter. 

"They'll be happy for us. We should also invite Tabitha and Rahne, since they are important to us." Star hooked his chin over Julio's head, his breath ruffling Julio's hair when he exhaled. "We'll wear our Just Married shirts. It will be funny and unexpected, despite the fact it's an entirely obvious outcome."

"Yeah, great, sounds good. We'll have a bigger party later, once our lives have settled down a bit."

"Did you want a wedding?" Star asked.

"Fuck, no. Eloping is exactly what I would have wanted, if I had thought about it. Which I hadn't."

"Okay," Star said, swaying with him a little, solid and comforting in Julio's grasp. He loved fucking Star – had known he would from the moment it occurred to him that it was something he actually wanted – but the intimacy of touching him, of holding him and being held by him, was even better. 

"Can I have your pineapple slice?" Star asked, eyeing the triangle of fruit on Julio's pink sword.

"Yeah, sure," he said, holding up his empty glass so Star had easier access, "knock yourself out."

After, Star took him by the hand and led him back to their room, where they fooled around on the bed, in their swimsuits. Julio lay there, on his back, as Star mouthed him through the stretched fabric, wet and hot. He held his breath at Star kissed his way, achingly slow, up the length of Julio's relaxed body.

"Hello, husband," Star said when he reached his mouth, hand slipping into Julio's bathing suit. 

"Hey, babe," Julio replied, grinning, licking over Star's lips before biting at the lower one. Star's fingers began to stroke him, working the length of his cock. It was going slower than he expected, especially after working each other up so badly, but he'd let Star set the pace, and this was what Star wanted. 

"I like when you call me that," Star told him with a kiss. 

Julio smiled, loose with pleasure. "I like when you call me husband. It kinda blows my mind."

"It is what you are now." Star pressed a kiss to his throat, hand sliding over his cock. Julio – helpless to do anything else – laid his palm gently over the back of his head, holding him close. "My best friend." A kiss to his jaw. "My anchor." A kiss to the corner of his mouth. "My husband." A kiss to his lips. Julio shivered hard as Star's touch quickened, thumb gathering the pre-come and slicking it over his cock. 

Julio closed his eyes. "If you want to see me in this swimsuit again, you're going to have to take it off."

Star hummed, thinking it over, and Julio waited impatiently, hips squirming, biting his lip. "Very well," Star finally said, taking his hand away. He hooked his fingers into the bathing suit and dragged it down Julio's legs, dropping it to the floor. Julio opened his eyes, watching as Star shimmied out of his own. Aware of Julio's gaze, his movements slowed, drifting into performance. "Do you like what you see?"

Julio smiled. "Always, _corazón_."

"And you will continue to like my appearance, even when I am older and possibly out of shape?"

"Even then," Julio assured him, smoothing his hands over Star's thighs and up his sides, urging him closer. "Probably even more. I mean, you're hot as fuck, but it's your personality that I actually love. You make me laugh, like, constantly. We always find something to talk about. You take care of me."

"I do," Star agreed, putting his hand back on Julio's cock, smiling sweetly. "I love you for your personality as well, even if everyone tells me you are too sarcastic and I could do so much better."

Julio looped his arms over Star's shoulders, trying not to smile. "And what do you tell them?"

"I tell them to fuck off and mind their own fucking business," Star replied with a grin. 

Julio laughed, tugging Star down, until they were chest to chest, cock to cock. He kissed him, hot and wet and open, tongue sliding into Star's mouth, tasting him. They made out for an excruciatingly long time, hands roaming and exploring, leaving no swath of skin unexplored. At some point, they switched positions, Star on his back, legs hooked over Julio's thighs. He looked so breathtakingly beautiful that Julio paused mid-exploration, just to memorize the scene before him. Star smiled up at him, bright. 

"What are looking at?"

"What else? You."

"Good," Star said and kissed him until they both came, writhing against each other, no space between them.

They showered again, quick, just to get the perspiration and come off their skin, before heading out for a quick lunch. The rest of the afternoon was spent on the lido deck, alternating between lying in the sun and bobbing in the pool. While out of the water, Julio made decent headway on his book. Star split his time between napping and sitting behind Julio, trying to distract him from reading with varying levels of success. Star submitted himself to a layer of sunscreen, and Julio let him apply it in return.

"I think my dick is finally satisfied," Julio told him in Cadre, as Star worked to prove him wrong. 

They grabbed drinks – orange, with green paper umbrellas – and relaxed, even though neither of them were particularly good at it. Julio's mind was blissfully quiet, content to ignore the impending threat of the real world, and Star was only a little fidgety, all things considered, though he did try to meditate. 

"Is the music bothering you?" Julio asked when he noticed Star unable to settle down. 

"No," Star replied. "I am merely distracted. We are not the only two people in bathing suits."

"This sudden swimsuit fetish of yours is kinda funny," Julio admitted, looking around the deck. It was like a scene out of his most fervent teenage daydreams, back when he regularly jerked off to the Sears catalogue he had stolen from Jean Grey. "I'll wear this thing the next time we take a bath together."

Star glanced over at him, clearly intrigued. "Really?"

"Sure, why not?" Julio said with a laugh, shrugging, and Star leaned over to kiss his knee. 

Before dinner, they took one last dip in the pool. The ship docked crazy early the next morning, and the evening was going to be spent partying, dancing and drinking the last four colours of the rainbow. _And probably sex_ , Julio thought, ducking under the surface and coming up with a smile, pushing his hair back. They'd had an insane amount of honeymoon sex already, but he was ready to try for even more. 

"I know what you're thinking about," Star murmured in his ear, behind him, curving a hand intimately over his ass.

"That's too easy," Julio replied easily. "I'm always thinking about that with you."

Star kissed him, quick and warm on his cheek, and gave his butt a firm squeeze. "Trust me. I know."

Julio grinned at him, and Star smiled back, colour high on his cheeks, definitely not from the sun. Turning slightly – Star's arms immediately circling around his waist – Julio laid his arms over Star's shoulders, crossing them at the wrist. Julio kissed him, briefly, before pulling back. "I love you."

"I know that, too," Star assured him. "Thank you for telling me so often. I love you as well."

Julio's smile threatened to split his face. He should have felt ridiculous, self conscious, something, but he just couldn't bring himself to care about what anybody but Star thought about him. "My husband." 

"My husband," Star replied, expression almost indescribable, bright and blinding and wonderful.

They had their last dinner aboard the cruise ship. Star had the chicken breast, because why not, and Julio went for a porterhouse steak, with some chocolate mousse concoction for dessert. They split a bottle of wine, which was probably a terrible idea, but Julio just hoped his liver would forgive him.

Back in the room, they got dressed for the last theme night on the cruise. Star laid out their base outfits – ridiculously small white shorts and matching white knee socks – then spread a selection of white accessories on the bed. Star claimed a headband with two stars on springs, pushing it over his hair.

"Isn't that a bit too literal?" Julio asked, reaching up to poke at one of them with his index finger. 

"I am a very literal person," Star replied. "You should wear that white vest. I bought it for you."

Julio picked it up, running his thumb over the soft leather. "Don't tell me you get off on vests, too." 

"No," Star replied with a laugh, eyes hot as Julio pulled it on. "But I do recall noticing how your nipples looked whenever you wore one. Even if the last time I remember you wearing a vest was one of the worst moments of my life. It is very confusing. Regardless, I saw it and thought you would like it." 

Julio blinked at him. "There's a lot to unpack in what you just said, dude."

"The nipples were the important part," Star told him, flicking a thumb over the closest one. "I liked them."

Julio made a face, but Star clearly didn't want to talk about it, so he let it go. He knew immediately what Star was referring to. It was one of the lowest points in their friendship, leaving Star behind when he knew – when it had already become obvious, at least to him – that things were changing between them. He left almost entirely because of that, even though he'd had a million other excuses lined up. 

He had come back, which counted for something, but it didn't change the fact he'd run away in the first place.

Star kissed him suddenly, right on the top of the head, and Julio got the message loud and clear. He could feel like shit about every mistake he'd made in his life tomorrow. Tonight was for dancing, drinking and thinking about his hot, half-alien husband on their unexpectedly real fake honeymoon.

"Would this necklace be overkill?" Julio asked, holding up the string of over-sized beads to his neck.

"I don't think so. I am planning on wearing a belt that does nothing but hang attractively on my hips."

"I don't know. It might be fun to grab while we're dancing. Get you all up nice and close to me."

"I'll do that anyway," Star promised him, and Julio gave him a demonstration of exactly what he meant.

They danced and drank, going through yellow, green and blue in rapid succession. They got sucked into a few rounds of shots with jubilant strangers, caught up in the revelry. Between all of that and the wine with dinner, Julio was bordering sloppy drunk, but for the time being, he was still on the side of happy and affectionate. Star kept his eyes glued to Julio's face, all his senses focussed on him. He seemed a little tipsy, too, which was fun. It took a lot to even get Star in the same orbit as wasted.

Julio couldn't stop kissing him. Smiling at him. Touching him, his hand. Star's ring was suddenly the most mesmerizing thing on the planet, possibly the entire dimension, and he already knew what he was going to inscribe on it, without having to think too hard. His love for Star was, at its heart, very simple.

Star was a star in the sky, anchored to him on earth, through their love for each other. He knew, if either one of them ever ended up somewhere the other couldn't easily reach, Star would be able to find him. He was the first of Star's anchors, the strongest of them and the only one he could get to without help.

"Why are you smiling?" 

"You're great." Julio ran a finger down his bare chest to his bellybutton. "I think you're amazing."

"Thank you," Star replied, slipping his hand under the back of Julio's vest, fingers spread wide. 

The night spiralled on as they danced and danced. They took breaks only to chug down their drinks, hair damp with sweat. Star's sparkly headband bounced around whenever his moved. They looked so ridiculous that Julio couldn't stop smiling whenever he noticed the two stars on their springs. The joyous mood around them was infectious; it was impossible not to get swept up into the celebration. 

Julio lost all track of time, but he made sure to drag Star by the belt to the bar to get the last drink – purple. Star talked the bartender into adding extra pineapple slices with just a compliment and a smile. Star held both drinks – Julio's hand still tucked into his decorative belt – as Julio led them to a higher deck, away from the music and the crowd, to a more private area. They weren't the only ones there. 

Leaning against the rail, Julio tugged Star between his legs and took his drink from him. The breeze from the ocean tousled his hair, but before he could push it back, Star took off his headband and put it on Julio's head instead. They grinned at each other. Without speaking, they enjoyed their final drinks. 

There wasn't much more to say, not tonight. Eventually, Julio drained his glass. He fished out the pineapple slices to feed to Star with sticky fingers, lifting on his toes to lick away the juice on his mouth. Star returned the favour and, when all the pieces were gone, dragged his thumb over Julio's lower lip.

"Remember what I said earlier about my dick being satisfied?" Julio asked, and Star nodded. "All lies."

"I feel very compelled to carry you back to our room," Star informed him and, when Julio didn't protest, tossed Julio over his shoulder like he weighed nothing. They attracted a few amused looks, but Julio thought they mostly just looked like the newlyweds they had started the mission pretending to be.

In their cabin, Julio undressed Star with unsteady hands, kneeling to roll down his socks and, while he was down there, strip off his shorts. Swaying a little, Julio stood again. He used that superfluous belt to lead Star to the bed, unbuckling it with confident hands before pushing him down onto the mattress. 

"Slick yourself up," Julio said, shimmying out of his own shorts. "I'm ready to ride that gorgeous cock."

"Keep the vest on," Star told him, stretching over the mattress to grab the lube. "I also lied. It is hot."

Julio grinned, almost tripping as he stepped out of his shorts. Inelegantly, he toed off the socks, one arm braced on the mattress, and whooped when he finally got his feet free without face-planting. Crawling up the bed to where Star was already waiting, cock thick and hard and glistening, Julio straddled him. 

"One moment, Julio," Star said before Julio sat on him and dipped his hand between Julio's legs. 

Julio put his palms on Star's shoulders, steadying himself. "Pfft, totally unnecessary, dude."

"Humour me," Star told him, fucking two fingers into him, slick and wonderful. Julio closed his eyes, ignoring how the room was spinning, and it occurred him to that whiskey dick was a real concern. If they'd had any whiskey. He hadn't asked. He hadn't cared. "Okay. Ride me like I am a cowboy, Julio."

"That's not right," Julio scoffed dismissively. "You're the horse. Ha, because you're hung like one."

"Fekt. Whatever. Please stop talking and just do it already."

Julio chuckled low in Star's ear, and pushed Star back onto the mattress. Without preamble, Julio sat on his dick, taking all of him in one determined slide. Star's fingers circled his hips, digging into him, hard enough that Julio knew to expect bruises tomorrow. Biting back his smile, he began to move, each snap of his hips pulling the most amazing sounds from Star's mouth. Eventually, Star pried one of his hands off Julio's waist and curled it around Julio's cock instead, stroking him in time with each thrust. 

Julio definitely remembered coming, mostly remembered Star doing the same thing, but only vaguely remembered falling asleep. He woke up hours later, sprawled on Star's chest, his cock still buried in Julio's ass. He gingerly extracted himself, ignoring Star's sleepy protests. He fell back asleep quickly.


	9. The Last Day

Julio work up abnormally early, stiff in a whole bunch of unfortunate places. He tried to go back to sleep, but after half an hour of lying there, Star in his arms, he carefully extracted himself. He still had the ridiculous vest on, which he swapped for a semi-clean t-shirt, and tugged on a pair of Star's gym shorts. The headband with the stars was also still on his head. He tossed it onto the couch with a sigh. 

Grabbing a couple bottles of water, he located his phone and went to sit out on the balcony. 

He could tell, simply by how strong his power felt rumbling under his skin, that they were close to land. A bittersweet feeling settled in his chest. Despite the fact it had taken him a while to settle in and relax – he _really_ wasn't meant to live on water – he was sad to see it over. Who knew where they'd be next year? Ideally still married, but their lives were chaotic and unpredictable. Anything could happen. 

Julio used to be perfectly okay with change – more resigned that anything else, but he'd basically accepted from the moment his father had died that nothing would ever be the same – but then M-Day happened, and now he often longed for things to stay exactly as they were, for as long as possible.

Though he supposed getting married on a whim was a pretty big change, and he was okay with _that_.

More than okay, if he was being honest. Ecstatic. The happiest he had ever been. 

And even if part of him thought they'd rushed into it and probably should have waited, it was a very small part, easily ignored. He still didn't regret it. He was certain that he never would. 

Julio cracked open a bottle of water and drained it in three big gulps. He felt extremely hungover, exhausted but unable to sleep, hungry but vaguely nauseated. His thighs were a dried mess of come, and he _really_ shouldn't have fallen asleep like he had. But despite all of that, he felt great, too. 

His therapist would be proud. Re-framing his thoughts had finally begun to feel almost natural. 

Julio stretched, watching as the pier slowly came into view. He glanced down at his phone, seeing it had service. There was an email from Kitty, letting them know that Rafael had been successfully guided back into his body and had been enrolled in The Xavier Institute for Mutant Education and Outreach. Rafael wanted to meet them in person, especially Julio, once he arrived from Costa Rica. 

Costa Rica. Julio blinked. He'd known the kid was from there – he'd worked his ass off to get that information – but he hadn't really processed it at the time. On his list of places to avoid like the plague, Costa Rica had always been near the top. His rule had been simple: if you didn't think about a place, it didn't exist, and if it didn't exist, it couldn't hurt you. But he just somehow kept ending up back at them. 

It was like you couldn't outrun your past, or some such shit. Julio sighed. 

The glass door slid open, and Star stepped outside, completely naked. He squinted at the sun then squeezed himself into the sliver of space between Julio's body and the armrest, flopping against him. 

"Good morning," Star murmured, pressing his face to Julio's neck, breathing in deeply.

"You don't have anything to do before we meet with the contractor on Monday, do you?"

"No," Star confirmed, looking up. "Why?"

"Would you come with me to San Francisco? Like, if I wanted to go today?"

Star touched Julio's face with his fingertips. "Julio, I would do anything for you. Of course I will."

Julio smiled at him, embarrassingly grateful. He'd known, because he knew Star as well as he knew anybody, but he'd needed to actually say it aloud before he chickened out. "And good morning, babe. We should probably pack and maybe grab some breakfast. We have to be out of the room by nine." 

"We have time," Star assured him, kissing his neck. "You smell amazing this morning."

"I smell like you," Julio told him, rubbing a hand down Star's bare back. 

Star hummed, pleased.

They exchanged blowjobs out on the balcony – one final hurrah at sea – before they separated and headed back in the room, showering one at a time as the other packed. Julio came out of the bathroom, scrubbing a towel through his hair, to catch Star taking a selfie with the swans. Julio rolled his eyes.

"They're clever," Star said, ignoring him. "Please come over here so I can take a picture with both of us."

Unable to deny Star anything, Julio let Star arrange him into suitable poses. They hadn't taken many pictures, but Julio knew he wouldn't forget a single second. 

After they finished packing, they headed out to grab a quick bite to eat. While Star worked his way through a selection of sugary cereal, Julio picked his way through a muffin as he booked their flights. 

"We get a free night at a hotel," Julio said, finger hovering over the confirm button, hesitating. 

"Then we should take advantage of it," Star decided. "If that's what you want."

"If I completely freak out, you'll teleport us back to New York?"

"I will do my best. I reserve the right to say no if I don't think you can sufficiently anchor me."

"Good enough," Julio said, clicking confirm. He put his phone back into his pocket. 

They finished up, heading back to grab their luggage and take one last look around. Julio left a stack of five dollar bills on the bedside table. He felt a little bad about all the towels they had ruined. 

As they prepared to leave the room for the final time, Star pressed Julio against the wall, kissing him thoroughly before stepping back. "I have had a very good time, Julio," Star told him, caressing his face. 

"It's been amazing," Julio agreed, placing his palm over Star's hand, their rings touching. Star smiled at him, and Julio mirrored it, feeling the love well up in his chest. "We'll do it again, okay? No mission, no ghosts, nothing but us. No matter how crazy our lives get, we agree to make this time for ourselves."

"Yes," Star agreed with fierce determination. 

Julio squeezed Star's hand, pressing a kiss to his palm. "And all this progress we've made together during this trip? We keep doing that. Being honest. Working through our shit. Loving each other. We're married now. We're husbands, and we fight for this because we want it so fucking bad. Okay?"

Star nodded. "I'm not as calm about the future as I claim to be," he confessed, voice hushed. Julio squeezed his hand again supportively. "I will do what needs to be done to ensure we have the future we want for ourselves, but I hate not knowing how everything will work out."

Julio smiled. "Believe me, I know that. I can tell when you're just pretending for the cameras."

"I don't want to leave," Star admitted, bowing towards him, their foreheads touching. 

"Me neither, but our lives are waiting for us. We have shit we still need to do. I gotta get my ring engraved for one." Star looked up at him, eyes glistening, and Julio smiled again, using his free hand to wipe a tear off Star's cheek. "And besides, we still have to tell everyone we're married." 

"We do," Star said, taking a deep breath, finding his equilibrium again. "I'm going to tell _everybody_."

"You've _been_ telling everybody," Julio replied with a laugh. "Just, this time, you'll be telling the truth." 

"It was very good practice," Star agreed.

They headed out on deck with their luggage to await their disembarkation time, settling down in a chair. Julio poked around on his phone as Star relaxed against him, his back to Julio's chest. From time to time, Julio ruffled his fingers through Star's soft hair, just making sure that everything was still okay.

When it was finally their turn to leave, they grabbed their suitcases and headed off the ship. Julio exhaled sharply when he finally set foot on solid ground again. Three days had been pushing it, he realized, and a fourth would have been hell. Which was good to know. It made planning for the future easier. 

They stood in the taxi stand line and got a cab to the airport, where they boarded a flight to San Francisco. Julio felt the doubt and regret begin to war in his chest as he sat in his seat, staring out the window, but he also knew he needed to do this. He was sick of being haunted by all his demons. 

Star reached over and took his hand. He held it for the entire trip, never wavering.

Star checked them into their hotel, sensing that Julio wasn't in any frame of mind to talk to a stranger. They dropped everything off in their room. They stood in the middle of it for a long time, Star's arms wrapped around his shoulders, his face pressed to the side of Julio's head, before Julio stepped away.

He had no idea if Star knew where it had happened, specifically. This was the one thing he'd never really talked about with him, for a variety of complicated reasons. Witnessing his dad's murder had been something he could at least reference, because it had been out of his control. Same with losing his powers, which had been so fucking public anyway. But what had happened with The Right had never felt like either of those. To this day, there had been decisions he'd made that he still blamed himself for. 

His therapist had told him he wasn't at fault. Bobby, Hank and Jean had all told him, at various times after his rescue, that he hadn't done anything to deserve what had happened. But it had never helped.

"We can wait, if you're not ready," Star told him, out on the sidewalk, waiting for Julio to move.

"I'm never ready for shit like this," Julio admitted, scratching a hand through his hair. He exhaled, closing his eyes for a moment, grounding himself, then nodded. "Okay. We're close enough to walk."

Star took his hand and let Julio lead them down the street. It was hard to keep moving forward. Now that they were here, it seemed a lot more real. In the distance, as the building came into view, a sick feeling settled in his stomach. It'd been over ten years ago – a fucking lifetime – but staring at it now, it was like he was back there, a terrified little kid. He wanted to stop, to change his mind, but he didn't. 

He just kept moving forward, as always. It was the only thing he knew how to do. 

"You're shaking," Star said suddenly, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. He fold his hands over Julio's, holding them tightly, anchoring him. "Julio, you know I support you completely in this, but I think we should pause for a moment, just in case. You once told me this city made you more powerful."

"Did I say that?"

"You were very drunk and somewhat maudlin at the time, but yes, you did tell me that." Star moved his palms up Julio's arms, soft and gentle, before his fingers curled around Julio's face. "Why don't we take a moment and go into that Starbucks and get two very large frappuccinos with extra whipped cream?" 

"I just want to rip the band-aid off," Julio told him.

"You don't have to hurt yourself just because you think you deserve it. A moment. That is all I ask."

He'd already waited a decade, but suddenly the idea of waiting another thirty minutes felt impossible.

He couldn't deny Star was right, though. Star was always so fucking _right_. 

Julio could feel his power, huge and awe inspiring, swirling under his skin. He'd somehow forgotten what being here felt like. It would have been his favourite place if not for the nightmare of The Right attached to it. Same with Costa Rica. Same with that block of New York he avoided like the plague.

"Fine," he said, spitting the word out, and went in to order.

Drinks in hand, they sat outside, at a table with an umbrella, people watching until Julio felt calmer.

He'd been a little angry at Star, and Star knew it, but after a few tense minutes, it didn't seem worth holding a grudge any longer than he had to. Fighting with Star was a waste of time anyway. Star preferred to keep his fights on the battlefield, with opponents who actually wanted to be there.

Julio nudged Star with his foot. "Sorry," he said.

"I know," Star replied, putting a hand on his forearm, squeezing. "I understand this is difficult for you."

"Not just that. For being so" – Julio gestured to his own head, making a few random, abstract motions with his fingers – "all the fucking time. I know it must get exhausting, sometimes, supporting me. I appreciate it, every time, even if I act like I don't. That's basically just me being an ungrateful bastard."

Star looked at him, frowning slightly, and sighed. "Don't apologize for that. I'm your husband, and, before that, I was your boyfriend, and, forever, I will be your best friend. Our relationship does not always have to be entirely equal. You are recovering from your trauma, after years of ignoring it."

"It's still asking a lot of you," Julio insisted. "Probably too much."

"Julio, I love you, but part of your problem has always been that you have an incredibly selective memory. You remember Mexico quite differently than I do. You forget all the nights you spent sitting up with me, when I couldn't sleep, overcome with the thought that I would never fit in here, that I didn't deserve the life I wanted after all the harm I had done to people who didn't deserve to die by my hand."

"It was a shitty situation. What else could you do?"

"Yes, I chose to live by any means necessary. I don't regret it. I even enjoyed it sometimes. I know that horrifies people, disgusts them, but you..." – Star looked down, expression impenetrable, before glancing up again, blue eyes bright – "it didn't matter what I told you, you never looked at me like I was a monster. Even when I felt like one. You never stopped touching me. You never pulled away."

Julio leaned into him, taking his hand and holding it tightly. 

"I came to Earth damaged, but you never treated me like that was all I would ever be." Star looked at him, serious, and squeezed his fingers. "My trauma is deeply rooted, like yours is, and I still struggle with the thought that I deserved it, because sometimes I feel like I chose it. Because I made you give that baby back to me and help me put him into the right timeline. I will never forget your anger."

"That wasn't anger, not entirely," Julio murmured, pressing a brief kiss to Star's shoulder, eyes closed. "And I was never angry at you. That wasn't a choice, Star. That was the furthest thing from a choice."

"I'm not sure I could have done it, if you hadn't been there with me. You make me feel invincible. Every time I have needed you, you have been there for me, at my side, ready to take on the world simply because I asked you to. Even now, when I do what must be done for the greater good, no matter how brutal, how ugly, you never look at me differently afterwards. Your love has been unconditional."

"Most of the time anyway," Julio said softly, a wry twist to his lips, and Star smiled.

"All of the times that mattered. Everything else, we worked through. You see? It balances out, Julio. I may not need your support right now, in the same way you need mine, but I'm sure the time will come again when I do, and I have no doubt that you will shake the earth to its core if that's what I require."

"I never minded doing that," Julio said softly, remembering all the months in Mexico. Learning everything about him, sharing himself with Star, away from the bullshit. Falling in love. Being loved in return. "Sitting with you, talking with you, I was happy to do it. I will _always_ be happy to do it. There's nothing you could ever tell me that would make me walk away. Not knowing you like I do."

"I know," Star said, taking Julio's hand and pressing it to his mouth, holding it there as he smiled. "Just like I am happy to support you now, as you work to heal yourself. It's important to me that you continue to be open with me and allow me to assist you. The alternative is not worth considering."

"I'm just really bad at this," Julio told him, and Star smiled again.

"I've noticed. Believe me, Julio, your brain is no mystery to me anymore."

Julio laughed a little. He got up to toss his cup in the garbage, regretfully pulling his hand out of Star's grasp. He caught Star's cup when he tossed it to him, discarding it, and took Star's hand again. "Let's get this over with," Julio said. "I'm taking you out for dinner after. I read about a nice restaurant here."

"How nice? I did pack us dress shirts and ties. We never got to wear them."

"What we're wearing will be fine," Julio assured him, ignoring his disappointed look, laughing a bit, and that made it easier to take the first step, and the second, until, finally, they were actually there.

It looked different from what he remembered. It was just a regular old office building, beige concrete and mismatched windows, with a plaque on the outside indicating it'd been built in 1987. They'd taken him in through the back, and he'd been barely conscious, dizzy with the drugs they had pumped into his system to keep him calm. The only thing that had cut through the fog was his unrelenting terror.

"So this is it," Julio said, looking up. It had to be forty storeys, give or take. "What a fucking dump."

"Do you want to go inside? I'm sure the security guard would let us in."

"With just a smile and... what, exactly?"

Star ignored his snappish tone, which Julio appreciated. It was shitty of him to take it out on the one guy he knew would take it, even if he felt like crap. "You underestimate how charming I can be. It is genetic. Perhaps the only thing of use I inherited from Longshot, besides his excellent bone structure."

"You're way better looking than he is," Julio muttered, pressing his face to Star's shoulder. "Sorry."

"There is no need to apologize," Star replied, curving his hand around the back of Julio's head. "It's your choice. I can get us into the building, but I also know you feel better when you're on the ground."

"Am I a complete failure if I'm okay with just looking at it from that bench across the street?"

"I think you should do whatever you want and know I will completely support you in your decision."

"Then we're sitting on that fucking bench," Julio decided, marching across the street without checking for cars. Star looked faintly exasperated, but he wasn't sure at what: his hot mess of a husband or the fact that more than one person hadn't been able to anticipate his recklessness and tried to run him over.

They sat on the bench for a long time, not speaking, Julio leaned against Star, who immediately slid his arm across Julio's shoulders. The building was less scary than he remembered, just a nondescript skyscraper in a neighbourhood of high-rises, but he knew he had broken most of those windows. No wonder none of them matched. 

Julio exhaled sharply, tipping his head forward, his hair falling in front of his face. "Fuck. I don't know what I expected. For everything to suddenly feel better, maybe. Which it doesn't, at all, for the record."

"Perhaps that wasn't the point," Star suggested.

"Yeah, who the fuck knows, with my brain?" Julio scrubbed a hand over his mouth. He crossed his arms, tucking his hands under his armpits. His fingers were ice cold. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. But if you want to talk about it, I will listen."

"Fuck, this sounds so stupid, but... I don't want to ruin our honeymoon."

"You won't," Star assured him, his voice warm with kindness. "I will never remember this time we had together as anything other than the best week of my life. I would like to know this piece of you, Julio."

"You sure?"

"As sure as I have ever been about anything," Star told him before adding, using Julio's own words, "there's nothing you could ever tell me that would make me walk away. Not knowing you like I do."

Julio snorted softly and took a deep breath. Starting, as always, felt like the hardest part, but eventually, the words came. "You know, I could rationalize my dad getting killed. I always knew exactly what he was. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. You sell guns to people, you probably end up in a bad way. I would've preferred not to be there, but he was never going to win any awards for his A-plus parenting."

Star didn't say anything, just put his hand on the back of Julio's neck and kept it there. 

"I'm not saying it didn't fuck me up. It did. Obviously it did. But it also made me determined. The Richter way of life, that wasn't going to be my future. I was going to get out of there. I didn't know how, but I was. I started working odd jobs, saving money. Once I was eighteen, I was gonna bolt."

Star squeezed him lightly, letting Julio know he was still there.

"But then puberty hit. I started noticing other guys. I tried not to, but... can't fight your nature, I guess. But I had that under control. Five years, and I was just going to leave. Go to America, live a better life." Julio lifted a hand to his face, rubbing under his eyes, which were burning. "But then my powers manifested, and I had no choice. I had to run away. I left behind all that money I saved. I had nothing."

Star squeezed him again.

"I needed a hero. I got something else. I thought I was a pretty good judge of people – he talked to me until I calmed down and stopped shaking, took me out for food and let me eat whatever I wanted, promised me I'd have a roof over my head if I just went with him – but I guess that's what being an idealistic idiot gets you. So that's what happened. Someone was nice to me, and then he really wasn't."

"You were a child," Star said softly. "You are too hard on yourself."

"Yeah. You're not the first person to tell me that. I understand it on an intellectual level, I even agree with it, but that doesn't seem to matter," Julio said, leaning into Star, closing his eyes and focussing on the pressure of Star's hand. "It's the thing my brain loves to torment me with. Not my dad getting killed in front of me. Not my fucking public suicide attempt. But the one time I believed someone when he said he was a good guy. I guess I should feel lucky he just tortured me. Could have been even worse."

_There_ , he thought, surprised at how relieved he felt. It was all out now. For better or for worse, Star knew everything. 

"Thank you for telling me," Star said, after a pause, and Julio looked at him, just to make sure he meant it. When he saw the open sincerity on Star's face, he felt like an ass, but he knew Star would forgive him. "It does explain a few things about you, but it does not diminish my opinion of you in any way."

Julio snorted softly. "You ever think about how messed up we both are?" 

Star smiled, taking it for the joke Julio meant it to be, but then he grew serious. "Occasionally," he said, tracing a thumb over Julio's cheek. "I like to believe it's part of the reason we work so well together. We listen to each other, we support each other, but we do not try to fix each other. We let our therapists do that."

Julio laughed a little, under his breath, enjoying Star's unique humour, and Star smiled again. He pressed a kiss to Star's palm. "Thanks for letting me talk about it. It helped. I do feel a little better."

"Whenever you need me, I will be there for you," Star said. "Always, Julio."

"Ditto," Julio replied, defaulting to one of Star's favourite pop culture references. Star laughed.

Emotionally exhausted and physically hungover, Julio took Star to the restaurant he had read about. It was a just a diner, nothing impressive from the outside, but it was exactly the sort of food he wanted right then. They both ordered ridiculously huge milkshakes – Julio went for some sugary monstrosity that came with actual baked goods, while Star opted for a basic chocolate one, though he ended up eating half of the crap stuffed into Julio's, too – and cheeseburgers with way too many toppings.

"Are we stress eating?" Star asked, looking dubiously at his burger. 

"We're eating our feelings. Subtle difference, but definitely in the same realm of poor coping mechanisms," Julio replied, biting into his and narrowly avoiding a line of egg yolk down the centre of his shirt. Grabbing a napkin, Julio wiped his face, which had taken the worst of it. "Hey, you wanna make this vacation the gayest it can be and head over to the Castro, just to see what it's all about?"

"Of course," Star replied with a smile.

After their meal, Julio ordered an Uber, and they waited outside, both vaguely sick to their stomachs, for it to arrive. Julio leaned against a lamppost, puttering around on his phone, as Star stood between his legs, arms over his shoulders, taking in the scene. When the car pulled up, they jumped into it. 

Julio felt better by the time the Uber dropped them off outside the Castro Theatre.

They walked around for a while. Julio paused outside an interesting bookstore and let Star drag him into it with only the faintest protests. It smelled exactly like he expected, which he found comforting, especially after such a raw day. Fishing his phone out of his pocket, he looked up the title of the book he'd begun to read in the library on the ship once upon a time. It felt like years had passed since then. 

The store had a couple copies, and he plucked one off the shelf. Star draped himself over Julio's back, peering over his shoulder. "Did you find something interesting?" he asked, words warm in Julio's ear. 

"Yeah, I read the first chapter while we were ghost-hunting. Looked interesting. I figure, since this group thing with Illyana didn't work out, I have plenty of time to read it. Nothing else to do."

"I have a few apartments you could help me paint," Star replied, kissing the side of his face. 

Julio wrinkled his nose. "I've never painted a wall in my life. I'm not sure I want to start now."

"I would make it worth your while." Star slid his hand under Julio's shirt. "I will pay you in sex." 

Julio laughed, reaching blindly back to give Star's ass a squeeze. "I can get that for free."

"True," Star said, kissing him again. "And you will end up helping me anyway, because I know you." 

"Oh, yeah, totally," Julio agreed with another laugh. 

They actually found a book on painting on the next shelf over, which Star decided they should buy, because the owner came over and welcomed them to the store and Star decided he liked her spirit and wanted to support her endeavour. 

"We just got married," Star told her as Julio paid, his hand splayed low on Julio's back. 

"Congratulations," she replied. "I hope you have a very happy life together."

"We will," Star assured her.

They headed back outside and decided to grab beers on a patio. Despite still being full, they ordered a cherry cheesecake to share. Star just wanted the fruit and the graham cracker crust; Julio ate the rest. As Julio sat there and people watched, Star played with Julio's ring, idly twirling it around his finger.

As the sun began to set, they finished up and ordered another Uber. Julio could barely keep his eyes open on the trip back, head tipped against the cool glass of the window, watching the sights whiz by. It really was a beautiful city. He was glad, if nothing else, he could come back here with some good memories. Not enough to replace the bad ones, not yet, but it was a start, and he could build on that. 

Star took his hand and held it, doing his part, as always.

They watched TV for a while, curled up under the covers. He looked forward to being in his own bed again, even though the mattress was lumpy and needed to be replaced. Most of their stuff would have to be thrown out, when they moved to the new place. It was all hand-me-downs and stuff they'd pulled off the curb after making sure none of it had bed bugs, but he knew it was time to finally grow up. He hadn't wanted to spend the money before, because he never knew what he'd have to leave behind.

It would be different, settling down, but as long as he had Star, he knew it'd be fine. 

"Do you want to sleep?" Star asked, head on Julio's shoulder, one hand tucked up under his shirt. 

"Was thinking about it," Julio replied, fingers tracing circles over Star's back. "You have a better offer?"

Star smiled. "Maybe," he said.

Julio thought he meant sex, which Julio could have gone for, despite his exhaustion. It really didn't take much to get him going, and he couldn't deny he was feeling a little clingy after the day he'd had, but Star simply got up and went into the bathroom. Julio rolled his eyes when he heard the tub start to run. 

"Really, dude?" he shouted, laughing. "You barely lasted a single day."

"We will skip the swimsuits tonight," Star told him, appearing in the doorway, shirt already off. Coming over to the bed, Star knelt over him, arms braced on the pillow. He kissed him deeply. "I just want to hold you a little longer, without the television distracting me. And the bathtub is quite large."

"You wanna take me out of these clothes then?"

"It would be my pleasure," Star told him. 

Star took his sweet time undressing Julio, long enough that Julio began to worry the tub would overflow if they weren't careful. Star murmured at him, annoyed, when he tried to bring it up, so he just let Star do what he wanted. He secretly loved being treated like this, and Star totally knew it.

Once done, Star wandered back into the bathroom, leaving Julio naked on the bed, relaxed and loved. Eventually, he stretched and peeled himself out of bed. He watched from the doorway as Star ran his hand through the water, testing the temperature. Star looked up at him and smiled as bright as the sun.

"It's perfect," Star informed him, standing up. Julio walked up to him, tucking his fingers into Star's shorts and pulling them off his hips and down his legs. Star stepped out of them, kicking them into the corner of the room, and turned around to climb into the tub. Julio watched him, waiting until he was settled before he stepped in behind him, sitting between his legs with his back against Star's chest.

As Star's arms circled around him, holding him tight, Julio sighed. As usual, Star had the best ideas. 

"I hope our building is still there," Star remarked, out of nowhere.

"Is there any reason to believe it isn't?"

"Things can go either way with Longshot," Star said. "I hope he moves in. I want him to."

Julio squeezed Star's knee. "I know you do. I can try to be optimistic for you, if you want."

"Thank you, but I would not want you to hurt yourself trying," Star replied, pressing a kiss to the top of Julio's head. Julio grinned, pushing back at him, letting Star know that he appreciated the joke. Star sighed into his hair. "I'm sure everything will be fine. I will have the life I want. I can be patient." 

"In theory," Julio added, after a pause, and Star laughed, warm and rumbling, in his ear. 

They stayed in the tub until the water turned cold. Towelling off, Julio climbed into bed, the sheets crisp and clean, and settled down on the mound of pillows. Star turned off all the lights, closing the curtains, and joined him, snuggling up. He smelled good, as always, and Julio hugged him tightly.

"Thanks for today," Julio murmured, before he lost the fight with his eyelids.

Star squirmed in a little closer, rubbing his cheek against Julio's shoulder. " _De nada_ , Julio."

"You're an amazing husband," Julio told him.

"I suspected I would be," Star replied, entirely serious, and Julio started laughing, dissolving into giggles, all the tension from the day finally releasing like a spring. Star put his ear on Julio's chest, and Julio could tell that he was smiling. "You are going to wake our neighbours," Star chided him gently.

"It's your fault," Julio replied, laughter giving way to hiccups. "I was almost asleep, dude."

"And now you're wide awake?"

"Maybe," Julio replied, smiling as Star lifted up, a shadowy figure above him. Julio dragged a finger over Star's bare chest, tracing the outlines of his pectorals. "I'm still willing to consider better offers."

"I appreciate your open-mindedness," Star said, skimming a hand down Julio's thigh. 

"What can I say? I'm easy."

"You certainly are about some things," Star agreed and kissed him.


	10. The End

They returned to real life. Their apartment was still there, all the mail neatly stacked on the counter. He could tell that Longshot had actually stayed there while they were gone by the way everything seemed slightly out of place, but there was no sign of him beyond that. Star sent off a quick thank you via text.

Star had insisted on carrying him over the threshold, stating it was only fair, and Julio humoured him. 

"Okay, I feel like our marriage is thoroughly blessed with a shit tonne of good luck now."

"You might be feeling Longshot," Star told him. "I have no idea how many things he touched."

Julio rolled his eyes. "It wasn't literal."

Star gave him a look that plainly said _I see now that we've returned to our natural habitat you're going to fall back into bad habits_ , but Julio had been trying to get Star to understand figures of speech for years. He was pretty close to accepting it was never going to happen, because Star's head just didn't work that way. 

Julio didn't mind at all. The unintentional hilariousness would probably never grow old.

Star took his watch off and placed it on the kitchen counter, the effect of the image inducer gone. Julio stared at him, having almost gotten used to not seeing the star. Other than their wedding – where it would have been too weird – Julio hadn't seen Star's face, naturally, for over a week. He'd really missed it.

He kissed Star as he walked past him, touching his thumb briefly to the star-shaped mark. 

Star smiled at him.

"It was fun, but I'm glad to be back," Julio said, flopping down on the couch. "I vote we don't leave the house again until we have to. Except, fuck, we really need to do laundry. And, fuck again, I think we forgot to pay the cable bill. Forget I said anything. I'm not glad to be back at all. Let's live on a ship."

"You hate boats," Star replied, squeezing in beside him, settling on Julio like a blanket. 

"I've made my peace with them. They're not my favourite thing, but I can handle being so far away from the earth if I know my powers are actually, you know, still there. So that's good to know. Go me."

"I am suitably impressed," Star assured him, relaxed, eyes closed. "There is nothing to worry about, Julio. I paid the cable bill before we left, and we can drop off the laundry on Monday. I'm sure we can find at least two clean outfits each, and barring that, we can agree not to wear any clothes tomorrow." 

"Sounds good." Julio patted Star on the butt. "Thanks for paying the cable bill, babe."

"I promised Longshot he'd have access to all the channels if he watched the apartment."

"You're such a good son," Julio told him, yawning. "I might take a nap. I'm exhausted."

Star hummed, already mostly asleep. Julio closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and joined him.

They ordered in food for the next two days, surviving entirely on pizza and Chinese food. They binge-watched a bunch of shit on Netflix – completely naked on Sunday, just because Star's plan B had sounded so enticing, even if they had clean clothes – and sent out various texts. Rahne and Tabby were easy to invite to dinner, since they tended to meet up with them weekly anyway, but Longshot and Alison required a more deft hand. Julio made Star show him the messages before he sent them.

So nothing really changed, except they were married. Star spent some of Sunday on the laptop, figuring out what he needed to do to formally change his name. Julio took notes on his phone, because the whole process was unnecessarily complicated, especially for something people did all the time. They really couldn't do much until the certified copy of their marriage certificate arrived in the mail anyway. 

"Are you absolutely okay with your name being Shatterstar Richter?" Julio asked, just to be sure.

"Without a doubt. It has been the name in my head for a very long time. Now it will just be official."

Julio smirked. "What if I said no when you proposed?"

"That was never going to happen," Star said dismissively, closing the laptop and placing it on the coffee table. Julio allowed his eyes to trail lingeringly over Star's body, long and lithe, as he sat cross-legged on the couch, completely naked. _I'm living my best life_ , Julio thought with a smile. "It's a good name."

"I could drop my last name, too," Julio said, trying not to smile as Star looked at him, waiting for the punchline. "Make everyone just call me Julio. Intentionally misspell it and use it as my code name."

"Absolutely not," Star said, taking it as a personal offence. He climbed on Julio and pushed him back onto the seat cushions. His eyes burned hot, a twist of a smile on his lips. "That is my name for you. Remember how much you hated when I used to call you Julio? You begged me to call you Rictor."

"It was a complicated time," Julio replied, grinning up at him. He draped his arms around Star's neck, loose, aiming for sexy. "This hot alien dude decided to befriend me, and I didn't know what to do."

"You were interesting," Star told him. "You bought me a watch. You taught me how to tell time."

"Someone had to," Julio said with a shrug. "You kept trying to go after the wrong people in fights. Cable was gonna kick you off the team, and then who was I gonna have all my wet dreams about?" 

Star groaned, burying his face in Julio's neck. He pressed a series of kisses over his skin before lifting his head and fitting his mouth against Julio's, tongue slicking inside. They made out for a wonderfully long time, legs slotted together, bodies slick with sweat. Julio's phone rang once, but they ignored it. 

Eventually, Julio ended up on his knees, Star's cock in his mouth. He tasted so good, salty and hot and wonderful, and every time Star's fingers tangled in his hair, pulling a bit, Julio thought he might come, with nothing more than that. He took Star as deep as he could go, sucking him in hard, and lavished the head of his dick with his tongue, gathering all the pre-come and swallowing it. Julio repeated this a few times, hand playing with Star's balls. Vibrating his mouth around Star's cock, he sucked him to orgasm. 

Sitting back on his heels, Julio pulled a hand over his lips, feeling pleased with himself. 

"You are unbelievably good at that," Star told him. He leaned past him to sweep everything off the coffee table, including the laptop, which mercifully landed on a discarded pillow. Without warning, Star turned Julio around by the his hips and draped him over the surface. "I will have my revenge."

"It's not a competition," Julio reminded him, laughing, and gasped when Star licked over his asshole. Digging his fingers into the sides of the table, Julio held on, his cock pinned between the glass and his belly, the sensation almost overwhelming. Star lapped at him, tongue poking briefly inside, setting his nerves on fire. Just when he was close to begging, Star slipped two crooked fingers inside, fucking him. 

"You would win at cock sucking," Star assured him, lightly biting one cheek and then the other, "but I would definitely win at rimming. You like this so much. You would let me do anything," Star added in wonder, head dipping down again, tongue circling the ring of muscle clenched around his fingers.

"I need more," Julio told him, not disputing anything Star had said. It would all be lies anyway. 

"More fingers?" Star asked, sliding a third one inside, twisting, the burn amazing. "Or more cock?"

"Shit, are you already hard?" 

"I will be," Star assured him. "Let me lick you a little longer."

Julio moaned as Star pulled out his fingers, and he almost came when Star's tongue started fearlessly fucking him. Julio pushed back at him, wanting as much as he could get and desperate for any sort of friction on his cock. Just when he thought he'd lose it, Star stopped, keeping one hand dug into the flesh of his ass. Julio panted against the glass table, fog spreading over the surface, and squirmed wantonly.

It was almost too much. Julio felt the protest rise in his throat, the need to beg for relief, and then, without warning, Star's cock, slick with lube, pressed perfectly into him, alongside one finger. Julio howled, clutching at the table, nails scraping against the wood. It felt too amazing. He wasn't going to last.

Star fucked him hard, raking across his prostate, thrusting into Julio, deep, deeper, until Julio came, spilling on the coffee table, over and over, his belly sliding against the mess with a series of vaguely hilarious squeaks. Star pumped into him one last time and came with a low groan, hot in his ear. 

Star stayed still for as long as he could before gingerly pulling out, making a pleased noise. He dug his hands into the rounds of Julio's ass cheeks, squeezing him. Julio felt his tongue drag over him again. Julio, loose with the echoes of pleasure, moaned. It was amazing, but he also felt completely drained.

"I was going to throw this piece of shit table out," Julio mumbled, "but now I kinda like it."

"It is definitely coming with us," Star replied, rubbing a hand down Julio's back. 

"You're cleaning it up, though," Julio told him, looking back over his shoulder. Star smiled.

"I will take responsibility for the defilement of our coffee table," he told him, helping Julio when he tried to stand on wobbly legs. Looking down to survey the damage, Julio made a face. It was even worse than he thought, come smeared into every already filthy crevice. "Are you taking a shower?"

"I am literally covered in jizz right now."

"Do you want me to join you?"

"Uh, yeah, of course, but table first." Julio headed into the bathroom and turned on the shower, letting it heat up. He made a face at the sticky mess on his belly. Knowing Star would hear him, Julio didn't even bother to shout over the rush of the water. His throat felt raw. "It's easier to clean when it's wet."

"I find it very attractive when you're this practical," Star replied, pitching his voice to carry. "I will be there in a moment."

"You know where to find me," he said, ducking under the stream. He smiled to himself.

Monday morning, they grabbed breakfast after dropping their clothes off at the laundromat. It'd be nice to have their own washer and dryer, which was a thought Julio never expected to have, but this was his life now. Afterwards, they took the subway to Queens, where the building was thankfully still standing.

"Wow, Longshot is two for two when it comes to house-sitting," Julio said dryly, and Star snorted. 

Wayne, the contractor, greeted them at the door, handing them hard hats and protective eye wear. He was an older guy, arms full of tattoos. Julio was entirely sure Star had hired him because it was a family business with his son and two daughters. The son was very obviously a mutant. It had to hurt business, so Julio admired that he didn't give a shit. His own dad probably wouldn't have been so understanding. 

"I think you're going to be very happy with everything, Mr. Shatterstar, Mr. Richter," Wayne said, taking them into their ground floor apartment. It looked better than the last time Julio had seen it, more like a home and less like a disaster area. Julio was still surprised the building had passed its inspection. 

"It's Mr. Richter now," Star said. "Julio and I got married on Wednesday."

"Congratulations! That's incredible news. Samara is going to be thrilled. I hope you like casserole."

Julio turned around to see Wayne pumping Star's hand enthusiastically, legitimately happy for them. 

"But I would really prefer if you just call me Star or, if you must, Shatterstar," Star added faintly, an old argument that Wayne refused to consider, even for a moment. Star was just never going to win that fight, but he was too stubborn to stop trying. Julio snorted under his breath, leaving Star and Wayne to go over the plan for the upcoming week, and wandered down the dust-covered hall, to the back room.

Their bedroom.

What was once two apartments had been converted into a single big one. It was obscenely large, way too much space for two people, but Star had insisted it was the same square footage as a small house and that they would grow into it. Julio hadn't really understood what Star meant at the time, just that it was important to him, and since it was mostly his money to waste, Julio had just gone along with it. 

But he got it now. 

It was probably going to take a while for Julio to learn to think about the future as easily as Star did, but he was determined to get there as quickly as possible. Their marriage deserved that much. 

Who knew what his future with Star held? Nothing felt beyond the realm of possibility. 

They could host holidays here.

Get a dog or a cat or something. 

Raise children. 

Grow old together. 

_Maybe start with the holidays and work yourself up to a plant_ , Julio thought, his pulse rate increasing. 

He'd cross those bridges when he came to them, but the basics, those he could do. Probably. 

Walking over to the window, he stared out into an alleyway that led to a sad looking garden. It wasn't the greatest view in the world, but he wouldn't mind waking up every morning and opening the curtains to see that. He could probably grow some vegetables. He had a bit of a green thumb, and he'd been told that gardening could be therapeutic. It would be a win-win situation, and he so rarely had any of those.

Roaming through the apartment, he checked out the renovations. The apartment beside them had been transformed into a gym for the tenants – and Star – to use, giving them an extra layer of privacy. They'd been able to add a laundry room into the floor plan for their own apartment by building into that space. 

After poking around the two almost finished bathrooms and testing the sinks and toilets, he found the son, Junior – named after his father – in the guest bedroom, methodically laying down rows of hardwood flooring. Julio nodded to him, and Junior nodded back, all four of his arms hard at work. 

Finished looking around, he walked past Star and Wayne in the kitchen, talking about tile patterns, and went for a stroll through the rest of the building. When Star had first come up with this idea, Julio had been supportive, but he hadn't really believed it would happen until Star informed him he'd found a building that would likely work. The windows had been boarded up, and it had smelled like garbage. 

But as usual, Star had been able to see the potential hidden behind years of dirt and neglect. 

He'd attended every meeting with the mortgage broker, the lawyer, the building inspector, and Wayne, but he'd continued to think of it as Star's building in his head, despite the fact that Star had never once made it sound like that. He had involved Julio every step of the way, giving him the power to say no at multiple points. He never had, but he knew he also hadn't been as enthusiastic as he could have been.

For the first time, he felt excited by the idea, like they were on the cusp of something really great.

"Julio?"

"Up here," Julio said, from the third floor, in one of the finished apartments. Wayne and family had outdone themselves. It looked like a home, a place where someone could settle and find comfort. Star appeared in the doorway, covered in dust, expression happy. He took off his hard hat and gasses, settling them next to Julio's on the floor, by a stack of leftover kitchen tiles. "Is everything on track?"

"Yes, it appears so. I'm quite pleased so far. Did you see our apartment?"

"Yeah," Julio replied, smiling as Star came up to him, wrapping his arms around Julio's shoulders. Julio tucked his thumbs into two of the belt loops on Star's jeans, looking up at him. "It feels a lot more real now. Are we too old to ask our friends to help us move, or should I try to find some actual movers?"

"Our friends will help us," Star told him. "We will buy pizza and beer. It will be fun."

"You're only saying that because you have super human strength. It sucks for the rest of us."

"They will still do it because they care about us, and they are all extremely nosy."

"One of those things is definitely true," Julio agreed. It wasn't like they had a tonne of stuff, and most of it was being chucked directly in the garbage anyway. "We can skip the movers, but we need to pick up boxes. We're probably adult enough to pay for those, unless you really want to go dumpster diving." 

"There is one of those storage places on East 7th St. We can stop there on the way home." Star moved his hands to Julio's face, using his fingers to brush back Julio's hair. "Can you see yourself living here, Julio? I know it is probably too late to ask, but I want this to be our home, and I want you to be happy."

"I'm good," Julio assured him. "I wasn't never _not_ into the idea, if that makes sense. It's just... _change_."

Star bowed his head forward, touching their brows together. "I wouldn't be here if not for you, Julio. I just want everyone else to have the same support you gave me. It is much less terrifying together." 

"I still maintain you would've figured this shit out eventually, but I'm glad I could help."

Star smiled at him, punctuating it with a quick kiss, and pulled back. "Wayne assured me that our apartment is sufficiently earthquake _and_ sound proofed. Since you are so noisy when we have sex," Star explained, a deeply self-satisfied expression on his face. "I did not tell him that part," he added.

"Don't start being modest now. I'm only noisy because you're so fucking good, and you know it."

"If you saw what I saw when we're together, you'd understand where I draw my inspiration." 

"Believe me, the feeling's mutual," Julio assured him with a grin. "So when can we move in?"

"Another month, I think. We can start looking for a subletter now. It should be fine." Star smiled again, taking a piece of Julio's hair and tucking it behind his ear. "I do not mind our current apartment, but I am ready to make new memories with you here. There are a few more decisions to make, if you would like to help me. We have to decide on the bathtub for our en suite. I vote for an obscenely large one."

"This is why you shouldn't be allowed to go on undercover missions. You always come back obsessed."

"You just looked too attractive in your swimsuits," Star told him. "It's all I can think about."

"I'll make you a calendar for Christmas, if you promise to never, ever to tell anyone I did that for you."

"You are the best husband in the world," Star told him. He wrapped his arms around Julio's head, swaying back and forth on his feet. Julio laughed into his chest, tucking his hands into Star's back pockets and squeezing his ass. Julio could tell he was blushing. "You really are amazing, Julio."

"Don't thank me yet. I still have to figure out how to get it printed without anybody seeing it."

"I will find a way," Star vowed. "You are forgiven for never sending me pictures of your penis."

"If you knew how easy it was for those to get leaked, you'd get why I'm so paranoid."

Star scoffed, but he looked happy. Julio couldn't stop grinning. It was a ridiculous idea, and he didn't know why he had even offered, but Star was a man of simple pleasures, and Julio loved when he stumbled upon something he really wanted. He wasn't always great with words, but gifts he could do.

Over the next two days, they started packing up the apartment, mostly things they wouldn't need for a while. Winter clothes, books that Julio had already read, a box that contained a complete place setting for twelve that they'd picked up on sale and had never actually had the space to use. They found more than one fossilized condom, which was both hilarious and disgusting.

"We have to learn to live like adults," Julio told Star, dropping the latest discovery into the garbage bin.

"You are the one with the bad habit of tossing them," Star informed him smugly.

"You're the one with the enhanced sense of smell," Julio shot back. 

They had a meeting with Kitty at the Institute. Julio had thrown together a written debrief, but she preferred talking face-to-face. They both waffled on taking off their rings – gossip spread like wildfire amount mutants, in Julio's experience, and they were still a day away from dinner with Rahne, Tabs and the parents – but eventually, with great reluctance, they agreed that they just couldn't risk it and took them off. 

"My finger feels naked," Star said mournfully. 

Julio looked at his own hand, his skin lighter where the ring had rested. He didn't want to encourage Star's melodramatics, but he was right. "I can't believe how quickly I got used to wearing that thing."

"You still haven't added an inscription to mine," Star reminded him, running his fingertip along the inside. He managed to say it without sounding too accusatory. "Do you know what it's going to say?"

"Yup. If we bring it along, I'll drop it off at the jewellers. I can pick it up before dinner tomorrow."

Star nodded, practically pushing him out of the apartment. He waited outside while Julio went in and explained to the woman what he wanted, warning her that the metal was alien in origin and might not behave like she expected. Star looked up when he came outside, and Julio took his hand with a smile.

They were ten minutes early to their meeting with Kitty, but she was ready to see them immediately. 

"Marco is incredibly happy with your work. Nobody had any idea what you were actually there for, and it looks like the early reviews are pretty positive. Good job. Thanks for not murdering anybody," Kitty said, flipping through Julio's report. "He did mention something about a possible disembowelling?"

"It was a misunderstanding," Star assured her. "Just a flesh wound. I apologize for all the blood."

"That explains the impressive amount of towels they comped us."

"It wasn't the kid's fault," Julio added, just in case they hadn't been clear enough. 

"Yeah, I know. Don't worry about it. Rafael started with us on Monday. He's a sweetheart. Definitely has a problem with sleepwalking." Kitty put the report down on top of another stack of papers. She looked a little frazzled, but Julio knew it'd been a weird few weeks for her. "Anything else to add? 

Julio looked at Star, who cleared his throat. "Julio and I got married," he said tactfully, "for real."

Kitty looked at them, and they tried to look completely neutral instead of euphoric or anything that would make her feel bad. It had been such a bad scene. Julio, intimately familiar with public humiliation and its fallout, honestly felt terrible about how the whole situation had happened. 

"Congratulations," she said, after a moment, with a real, warm smile. 

"We haven't told Star's parents yet, so if you can keep that quiet for a few days, that'd be great."

"That's still so weird to think about," Kitty said. Julio nodded sympathetically. "My lips are sealed."

"Thank you," Star said, pointedly ignoring them both.

"Anything else?"

Star shook his head, already bracing to stand, but Julio hesitated, which caused Star to pause, looking at him inquisitively, waiting for whatever it was he wanted to say. After a moment, Julio shook his head, almost imperceptible. Star nodded slightly and rose to his feet, politely offering his hand to Kitty. 

Kitty took it, looking a little bemused, and glanced in Julio's direction. 

Julio settled on an aloof lift of his chin instead. Shaking her head, Kitty waved them off.

Star didn't say anything until they were outside, crossing the grounds. 

"What was that about, Julio?"

"I don't know," he said. Star frowned at him, and Julio sighed deeply. "Okay, fine, but just a warning, this will probably sound even more pathetic when I say it out loud than it does in my head."

"I will make that decision for myself," Star told him. 

Julio shrugged. "I guess it's just... the thought of sitting around and waiting for the X-Men to remember I exist is getting harder to swallow. But I also don't like not knowing what I'm doing from week to week. I mean, running around with Illyana and everyone was fun, but that's definitely not continuing. So I almost asked if there was, you know, something for me to actually do, but then I just... _didn't_."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. Because I don't want to get trapped in some sort of hell dimension while you're sitting at home, wondering where I am or if you're going to see me again. I just... I want to be here. With you."

Star stopped suddenly, expression impenetrable, looking off into the distance. "I didn't intend to guilt you into anything, if that is what I did," he said, after a long moment. "I don't mean to be clingy, Julio."

"You didn't. You aren't. It isn't just that _missing for over a week boyfriend thinks I might be dead_ thing. It's everything. It's wanting to stand at your side as you start this new chapter of your life. It's being with my husband every night, in our bed, in our home. Maybe I'll buy my own building and open a... a fucking flower shop or a club or something. I don't know. I never thought I'd want a normal life." 

"Me neither," Star admitted, "and I'm not even sure this is normal by anyone's definition but our own."

Julio took Star's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Does anyone else's definition even matter?"

"No," Star said, without hesitation. Julio lifted up on his toes and kissed him.

The next day, after Star headed out to the gym, Julio pulled on some clothes and walked to the jeweller's to pick up Star's ring. The jeweller carefully placed the finished product on Julio's palm, and he examined it closely, rolling it between his finger and his thumb. It was perfect. He paid and left, a box containing Star's ring tucked into his jeans. Julio had put his own back on the minute he could.

On the way back, he stopped by the market to pick up a jug of milk, a carton of eggs, a loaf of white bread, and a large bottle of lube. He grabbed a chocolate bar and ate it on the walk home. 

He was cleaning the bathroom when Star returned, dripping with sweat. They ended up fucking in the freshly scrubbed shower, Julio's legs around Star's hips as they frotted against each other, Julio's hand wrapped around their cocks while Star focussed on holding them upright. It wasn't their most elegant attempt, giggling like weirdos as Star struggled to stand on a very slippery surface, but it was fun. 

Julio fished their Just Married shirts out of the clean laundry, which neither of them had put away yet. Julio was pretty sure Star was playing a game of chicken with him, but Julio also knew Star was never going to win that. They spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch, watching TV and snuggling. 

"Are you ever going to give me my ring?" Star finally asked, kissing at Julio's fingers. 

"How do you know I remembered to pick it up?"

"You wouldn't forget," Star replied knowingly, and Julio got up to find the box. 

He sat back down on the couch, tucking a foot under his thigh. Star leaned forward, curious. Julio opened the little container, taking the ring out and placing it carefully on Star's outstretched palm. Star lifted it up, reading the inscription. _The ✶ in my sky. Always. ♥ J_. Star's eyes welled up, tears shimmering like diamonds. Gently, Julio took the ring from him and slid it over his knuckle, settling it on his finger.

"I love you," he said. 

"There are too many emotions," Star whispered, overwhelmed, and Julio pulled him into his arms, hugging him tightly, holding him through it. 

Later, when Star tried to apologize, Julio wouldn't let him.

They were the first ones to arrive for dinner.

The host seated them in the back, in a semi-private alcove, at their request. They were both wearing coats – Star in a jean jacket, Julio in his usual leather one – and kept them zipped up to cover their shirts. To kill time and work out their nerves, they practised their poker faces, but they mostly just succeeded in cracking each other up. They kept their rings on, but the tablecloth made it easy to hide them. Julio ordered two bottles of wine, a white and a red. And then it was just a matter of waiting.

Longshot arrived first, dressed in the exact same jean jacket Star had on. They both sighed deeply. 

Alison, Rahne and Tabby arrived at the same time, loud and laughing, drawing attention from the other diners. Rahne stopped to kiss him on the cheek, and Alison did the same to Star, who smiled at her. 

Tabby plopped down into the chair next to Julio, kicking him with her foot. "Okay, fess up. What's going on? Why's Ali here? Are you guys getting hitched? Hey, Longshot," she added, finally noticing him.

"Hello," Longshot replied amiably, holding his hand up for a fist bump. Tabby happily obliged. 

"Not exactly," Julio said, fighting to keep his expression even and trying not to wilt under the stares of three sets of curious eyes and Longshot, who had clearly already figured it out, "but we do have news."

"Good news?" Alison asked, smiling. 

"We think so." Star looked over to Julio, who nodded. In unison – they'd been practising for days, so they didn't look like total dorks – they unzipped their coats. "Julio and I got married. I will be taking his last name, once we receive the marriage certificate in the mail. We hope you will be happy for us." 

"Holy shit!" Tabs shouted, putting her hands over her mouth. "You fuckers! We wanted a wedding!" 

"Ach, ignore her." Rahne stood up, and Julio immediately rose to meet her, hugging her tightly, her body a familiar memory in his arms. "I'm so very happy for you both," Rahne whispered in his ear. "He's been good for you, better than I ever thought. I was so worried you'd never laugh again."

Julio squeezed her. "Thanks, Rahney."

"I can't believe you fucking married him," Tabs said, sliding into their hug, making it a three-way. "Have you told anyone else? Are we the first? Are you at least going to have a wedding reception? I have so many questions. Who proposed? Where did it happen? Shit, you can't stop smiling. It's weird." 

"I'm happy," Julio said, finally getting a word in edgewise. "We got married here. It's a long story."

"I have another son," Longshot said, inserting himself between Rahne and Tabby. Julio looked over at Star, who was still being peppered with kisses by his mother. They grinned helplessly at each other. "This calls for a toast. You don't need to tell me what colour of wine you want. I'll just take a guess."

While Longshot poured the wine with a level of skill Julio expected from a sommelier, Alison came over to him. She put her hand on his face, gentle, like a mother. "Welcome to the family, officially." She pressed a kiss to his cheek. "It's a fucking weird one, but it suits us. Thanks for being there for him." 

Julio nodded, too emotional to speak. He didn't need to ask what she meant. He knew. 

Longshot handed out the glasses. "To Rictor and Shatterstar. May your marriage be totally awesome."

"Thank you, Longshot," Star said, dripping with sarcasm.

"You're welcome," he said cheerily and bumped his glass against Star's. 

They paused to order food, Star and Longshot going last and eventually just copying what he and Alison had ordered, respectively. When the waiter left, all four gazes turned towards them, waiting. 

"You know how we were on a mission?" Julio started, when it became clear that Star was leaving the explanation up to him. "It turned out the ghost was just a kid. We found him, eventually. Got everything sorted out, but we were too wound up to sleep. So we went on deck to watch the sunrise."

Tabs put a hand on her chest. "Oh, romantic. Shatty, you totally popped the question, didn't you?"

"I did," Star confirmed with a warm smile, putting his hand over Julio's where it rested on the table.

"I was babbling on about fucking speedos, and I had no idea. And then he went down on his knee, and..." Julio shrugged lightly. "I said yes. We agreed we didn't want to wait. We teleported back to New York, stood in a bunch of lines, and then we were married. After that, we finished our vacation."

"We did take pictures," Star added, "if you want to see them."

Julio thumbed to the first image, the one they'd had taken in the water by the bemused guy Star had chased down. He passed his phone around, letting everyone look through the rest of them, belatedly remembering the pictures with the stupid towel swans were in there, too, including the photo where Star had made him kiss one of them. _Whatever_ , Julio thought. Everyone seemed to assume they lived the weirdest life possible anyway.

"I have legit never seen you look like this," Tabby said to him, holding up his phone. It was the one of him and Star on their wedding day, arms looped around each other, faces tipped together at the temples. They were grinning widely, eyes crinkled at the corners. It was an intimate moment, their matching expressions loving and bright and so amazingly happy that it still took Julio's breath away to see it. 

"He always looks like that with me," Star told her, and Julio smiled up at him. 

The food arrived, and they spent the rest of the night celebrating their marriage, with their family. Whatever the future held, whatever happened next, Julio wasn't afraid of it. He had a husband who loved him, a home to make their own, and a family he'd made with Star's help. His life was good. 

Star squeezed his hand, letting him know he was there, and Julio squeezed him back, anchored.

**The End**

**Author's Note:**

> **Additional Warnings:**
> 
> _Food:_ Star is incredibly picky about his food for a bunch of (almost entirely unexplained) reasons. It is not an eating disorder; it is mostly just stress-related. Plus, his enhanced sense of taste ruins some food.
> 
>  _Alcohol:_ They both drink a lot, occasionally to excess, Julio more than Star. They have sex while extremely drunk in Chapter 8, and Julio is a little sore the next day because of it, but it is 100% consensual. 
> 
> _Major Character Injury:_ Star sustains a major abdominal injury and refuses medical treatment. Julio gets him through it by applying pressure until Star's healing factor has stitched him back together. It is talked about, but I don't go into any major level of detail. The worst of it only lasts a few scenes in Chapter 6.
> 
>  _Bodily Fluids:_ Star's injury results in a lot of blood, which Julio has to clean up, and Julio vomits afterwards, after a long period of nausea, also in Chapter 6. There are also a lot of mentions of and references to semen. 
> 
> _Trauma:_ There are frank, honest discussions of both their pasts (Julio: death of his father, kidnapping by The Right, suicide attempts; Star: life on Mojoworld in the arena, time paradox leading to his birth), mostly in Chapter 9, though references are made throughout.
> 
> **Author's Notes:**
> 
> First draft written between July 10, 2018 and August 19, 2018 for the 2018 Marvel Big Bang. 
> 
> Number of times I rewrote parts of Chapter 10 since then because Marvel hates me: three. 
> 
> Number of times I refused to rewrite parts of Chapter 10 since then because Marvel hates me: one.
> 
> The one comic that had the potential to derail the entire story that I didn't think I had to worry about at all: Multiple Man #4. I had never been so happy to see Julio wearing shorts and not any other type of swimwear. 
> 
> Title inspired by [Anchor by Novo Amor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmKAn8rNbKg).
> 
> Inspirations for this story:  
> [Arcadia by Sineala](https://archiveofourown.org/works/548839) (Fic, The Professionals, Bodie/Doyle)  
> [Dreamboat](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6627466/) (Documentary, 2017)  
> [Like Father](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7170950/) (Movie, 2018)
> 
> I also went on a cruise once. The chicken breasts were amazing. 
> 
> The cruise itself is roughly patterned after a similar one offered through Atlantis Events, but I definitely took a few liberties with timelines, details and how often these cruises run. 
> 
> The theme nights and entertainment options were pulled from various sources, including _Dreamboat_ and reviews for existing cruises. 
> 
> The book Julio buys after reading the first chapter in the library: _Hello Sailor!: The hidden history of gay life at sea_ by Paul Baker and Jo Stanley (2003). 
> 
> The inspiration for the salsa dance: [LOST ON YOU - Dance Salsa cubana / casino romántica en Habana Vieja - timba rumba cubana](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=584e0BVU3Ks) (YouTube).


End file.
